A Bulgarian first-division team has been forced into an embarrassing apology after holding a minute's silence for a former player who was not dead.
Claim Football Bonuses on Bet365
Arda Kardzhali and Levski Sofia clashed on Sunday in Kardzhali during a Bulgarian league match. Before the game began, both teams gathered around the center circle to pay their respects to Arda’s former player, Petko Ganchev.
However, on the hour mark, Arda quickly acknowledged their error and was forced to issue a statement apologizing to Ganchev and his family after they discovered the 78-year-old was reportedly out in town getting some work done.
Arda sent an email to the television station broadcasting the match to confirm that Ganchev was still alive.
Dear journalists and fans of the Arda team. "The management of PFC Arda would like to express its deepest apologies to the team's former footballer, Petko Ganchev, and his loved ones, after the club received incorrect information regarding his death. "We wish Petko Ganchev many years of health and to enjoy Arda's successes."
Ganchev described the state of his wife to Bulgarian station bTV about the mix-up, mentioning that he arrived home early in the first half only to find his wife in tears after witnessing the minute’s silence on television.
‘I never miss watching Arda’s matches on television. ‘This time, I was about ten minutes late for the game against Levski because I had some work to do. As I was driving home, my phone started ringing a lot but I was driving and I didn’t dare to answer. ‘I entered the garden and my wife greeted me in tears. She said, ‘Petko, Petko, they’ve announced on TV that you’ve passed away!’ I couldn’t understand what she was saying or what had happened.’
