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A football club faced an awkward blunder after observing a minute’s silence for a former player who, contrary to reports, was still alive.
Arda Kardzhali and Levski Sofia paid their respects to footballer Petko Ganchev before their Bulgarian First League clash.
However, it was later confirmed that Ganchev had not passed away as reported by The Sun Football.
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At halftime, Arda emailed the match broadcaster to clarify that Ganchev was alive. The club later issued a statement, saying:
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.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, keeping Arda’s hopes of qualifying for the Championship group—and securing a European spot—alive.
Levski Sofia remained in second place, though their title chances appear slim as they trail leaders Ludogorets by 12 points.
Despite the mix-up, the result was not disastrous for Levski.
After taking the lead, they conceded a penalty, which was missed. However, they were reduced to 10 men when Jawad El Jemili was sent off in the final 20 minutes.
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Arda managed an equaliser but couldn’t secure a winning goal that would have moved them above Botev Plovdiv into fourth place.
What's next?
Teams must ensure that they verify information vividly before they take action due to the incident that happened.
Players must also be ready to assist the team by confirming to them news about themselves.