2010–11 A Group

87th season of top-tier football league in Bulgaria

Football league season

The 2010–11 A Group season was the 87th edition of the Bulgarian national top football division, and the 63rd of A Group as the top-tier football league in the country. The season commenced on 31 July 2010 and ended with the last games on 28 May 2011. The winter break was between the weekends around 29 November 2010 and 26 February 2011.^[1] Litex Lovech defended their 2009/10 A Group title and were champions for 2 consecutive seasons.

Team information

Lokomotiv Mezdra, Sportist Svoge and Botev Plovdiv were directly relegated after finishing in the bottom three places. Lokomotiv Mezdra ended a two-year tenure, Sportist Svoge were relegated after a year in A Group, and Botev were excluded from A Group due to financial difficulties at the winter brake, ending a five-year stint in the A Group.

The relegated teams were replaced by Vidima-Rakovski, champions of West B Group and Kaliakra Kavarna, champions of the East B Group. Vidima-Rakovski returned to A Group after two years, while Kaliakra entered the top division for their first time.

A further place in the league was decided by a play-off match between the runners-up teams from the two B Group's. The game was played on 23 May 2010 between Nesebar and Akademik Sofia. Akademik won the match by 2–1 and returned to the top division after 28 years. The last season the club had played in A Group was 1981–82.

Stadia and locations

As in the previous year, the league will comprise the best thirteen teams of season 2009/10, the 2 champions of the West and East B Group's and the winners of the promotion play-off between the runners-up from the West and East B Group's.

The following teams have ensured their participation in A Group for season 2010/11 (listed in alphabetical order):

Sofia

Beroe

Cherno More

Chernomorets

Kaliakra

Litex

Lokomotiv Plovdiv

Minyor

Montana

Pirin

Sliven

Vidima-Rakovski

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Location of teams in 2010–11 A Group

Akademik

CSKA

Levski

Lokomotiv

Slavia

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Sofia 2010–11 A Group football clubs

Notes

1. Akademik Sofia will play their league home games at Ovcha Kupel Stadium in Sofia because their Akademik Stadium had not received approval from the BFU license committee.
2. CSKA Sofia will play their league home games at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia because their Balgarska Armiya had not received approval from the BFU license committee.
3. Lokomotiv Sofia will play their league home games at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia because their Lokomotiv Stadium had not received approval from the BFU license committee.

Personnel and sponsoring

Managerial changes

League table

Source: A PFG (in Bulgarian)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals scored; 5th head-to-head away goals scored; 6th goal difference; 7th goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. CSKA Sofia have won the 2010–11 Bulgarian Cup competition and therefore qualified for the play-off round of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League.
2. Lokomotiv Sofia ahead of Lokomotiv Plovdiv on head-to-head record; Lokomotiv Sofia–Lokomotiv Plovdiv 3–0, Lokomotiv Plovdiv–Lokomotiv Sofia 0–0.
3. Montana ahead of Slavia Sofia on head-to-head record; Slavia Sofia–Montana 3–2, Montana–Slavia Sofia 1–0.
4. The team did not receive a license for professional football for the next season.

Results

Source: A PFG (in Bulgarian)
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by round

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Relegation playoff

8 June 2011

17:00 EEST

Hadzhi Dimitar Stadium, Sliven

Attendance: 600

Referee: Nikolay Yordanov (Sofia)

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12 June 2011

17:00 EEST

Hadzhi Dimitar Stadium, Sliven

Attendance: 800

Referee: Stanislav Todorov (Shumen)

Chernomorets Pomorie wasn't allowed to compete in the next season, so there will be 2 play-offs. The first will be between the teams that lost against Chernomorets Pomorie, Vidima-Rakovski and Sportist Svoge. The other will be between Svetkavitsa and FC Etar Veliko Tarnovo (the 3rd teams in the West and East B Group) for the Pirin Blagoevgrad's place.

17 June 2011

17:00 EEST

Hadzhi Dimitar Stadium, Sliven

Attendance: 2500

Referee: Aleksandar Kostadinov (Sofia)

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26 June 2011

17:00 EEST

Hristo Botev Stadium, Vratsa

Referee: Ahmed Ahmed (Burgas)

Champions

Litex Lovech

• Niflore, Popov and Bratu left the club during a season.

Season statistics

Scoring

• First goal of the season: 18:06, 31 July 2010 – Georgi Filipov for Kaliakra against Slavia (6th minute)
• Fastest goal in a match: 19 seconds – Rumen Trifonov for CSKA against Chernomorets (8 August 2010)
• First own goal of the season: Yordan Petkov (Slavia) for Beroe, 3rd round (15 August 2010)
• First hat-trick of the season: Garra Dembélé (Levski) against Loko Sofia (9 August 2010)
• Quickest hat-trick: 25 minutes – Garra Dembélé (Levski) against Minyor (12 September 2010)
• Widest winning margin: 5 goals
  • Sliven 2000 6–1 Vidima-Rakovski (18 September 2010)
  • Lokomotiv Plovdiv 5–0 Kaliakra (25 September 2010)
  • Cherno More 5–0 Vidima-Rakovski (9 April 2011)
• Most goals in one half: 6 goals
  • Sliven 2000 6–1 Vidima-Rakovski (5–1 at half time) (18 September 2010)
• Most goals scored by losing team: 3 goals
  • Lokomotiv Sofia 4–3 Slavia (27 November 2010)
• Highest scoring draw: 4 goals
  • Vidima-Rakovski 2–2 CSKA (14 August 2010)
  • Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2–2 Litex (22 August 2010)
  • Montana 2–2 Akademik (18 September 2010)
  • Minyor 2–2 Lokomotiv Plovdiv (2 October 2010)
  • Lokomotiv Sofia 2–2 CSKA (4 October 2010)
  • Slavia 2–2 Levski (7 November 2010)

Discipline

• First yellow card of the season: Radoslav Mitrevski for Pirin against Cherno More, 17 minutes and 25 seconds (31 July 2010)
• First red card of the season: Anton Dimitrov for Kaliakra against Slavia, 87 minutes and 14 seconds (31 July 2010)
• Most yellow cards in a single match: 10
  • Akademik 0–1 Sliven – 6 for Akademik (Pieter Mbemba, Asparuh Vasilev, Ivan Redovski, Nikola Asenov, Marcos Bonfim and Yulian Petkov) and 4 for Sliven (Petar Stoyanov, Nikolay Dimitrov, Miroslav Mindev and Dimo Bakalov) (21 August 2010)
• Most red cards in a single match: 3
  • Cherno More 3–2 Slavia – 1 for Cherno More (Ademar Júnior) and 2 for Slavia (Galin Ivanov, Victor Deniran) (17 October 2010)

See also

• List of Bulgarian football transfers summer 2010
• List of Bulgarian football transfers winter 2010–11

References

1. "Първенството стартира на 1 August 2010" (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian Football Union. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
2. "Павел Дочев официално е новият треньор на ЦСКА" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 13 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
3. "Славия изхвърли Вили Вуцов, Кокала е новият треньор на "белите"" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
4. "Левски представя Ясен Петров днес" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
5. "Стефан Грозданов напусна Пирин" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 8 June 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
6. "Литекс обяви причината за изгонването на Червенков – Петко Петков е новият треньор" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
7. "Официално: ЦСКА уволни Павел Дочев" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
8. "Безработен македонец ще е новият треньор на ЦСКА" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
9. "Нова треньорска рокада в "А" група" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
10. "Любо Пенев е новият треньор на Литекс" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 1 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
11. "Миньор остана без треньор" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 6 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
12. "Миньор избра треньор и нов шеф" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
13. "Калиакра уволни Филип Филипов" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 6 October 2010. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
14. "Изхвърлиха Гьоре Йовановски" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
15. "Стана ясен новият треньор на ЦСКА" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
16. "Черно море остана без треньор след резила срещу Монтана" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 23 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
17. "Локо (Сф) сменя Васев, праща го в отпуск до Нова година" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
18. "Драголюб Симонович напуска Сливен" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 4 December 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
19. "Димчо Ненов е новият старши треньор на ОФК Сливен" (in Bulgarian). dariknews.bg. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
20. "Красимир Балъков си тръгна от Черноморец" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
21. "Тони Велков наследява Балъков в Черноморец" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 23 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
22. "Гочето пое Черноморец" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 21 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
23. "Саша Николич ще води Локо Пд до края на сезона" (in Bulgarian). sportni.bg. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
24. "Bulgaria – A PFG Top goalscorers". Soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
25. "Bulgaria – A PFG Top assistants" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 4 May 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2010.

External links

• Official website