The Saint-Denis Committee holds its monitoring visit to Bulgaria

Lisbon: A team of Council of Europe experts carried out a monitoring visit to Bulgaria, from 27 February to 2 March 2025, to assess its approach to the organisation of football matches and other sports events.

The aim of the visit was to support the Bulgarian authorities in the effective implementation of the safety, security and service standards of the Saint-Denis Convention, to which Bulgaria has been a party since 1 February 2020.

The team included participants from Türkiye (Chair of the Advisory Group on Standard Setting and Legal Issues of the Saint-Denis Committee), from Greece and the United Kingdom (rapporteur and safety expert), as well as observers from UEFA and Football Supporters Europe (FSE).

The monitoring team was welcomed by the two Deputy Ministers of Interior and by the Minister and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, and had the opportunity to meet several relevant stakeholders, including from the Parliament (Committee on Internal Security and Public Order), the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Interior (National Football Information Point), the Bulgarian Football Union, the Bulgarian Basketball Association, the two main football clubs of Sofia – PFC CSKA and PFC Levsky – and their safety officers and supporter liaison officers (SLOs), as well as a representative of supporter associations. The delegation also attended a Football League derby match between PFC CSKA and PFC Levsky, on 2 March (Vasil Levsky national stadium – Sofia).

The visit was carried out in accordance with the Monitoring Guidelines of the Saint-Denis Convention. The findings, recommendations and best practices identified will be included in the monitoring report to be adopted by the Saint-Denis Committee and transmitted to the Bulgarian authorities for the implementation of its tailored recommendations.