The Bulgarian "Levski" football fans arrested in Skopje will not face charges

A total of 21 Bulgarian football fans spent the night in police custody in Skopje. They were detained before the match between Shkupi and Levski in the capital of North Macedonia on July 27. None of them will be charged. Friends of the Bulgarian fan who was stabbed with a knife appealed to the Bulgarian government to assist in the transportation of the man to St. Naum University Hospital.

The Prosecutor's office in Skopje has taken action to identify the persons from the clash before the match between Levski and Shkupi.

The match between Shkupi and Levski lived up to expectations that it would be high-risk. Tensions around the visiting blue team started at the border and continued for hours after the referee's final whistle. 21 Bulgarians were arrested for disturbing the peace in Skopje and one was stabbed. This was followed by a reaction from North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, who urged that sport and politics should not mix.

Some of the Bulgarian fans were detained just before entering the stands at Todor Proeski Stadium after complaining about the treatment they received from security guards and stewards. This led to clashes with the gendarmerie and serious tensions about an hour before the match. The detainees were released in the early afternoon today, July 28. No charges have been brought against any of them.

The Sofia city Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the knife attack on the Bulgarian man in Skopje.

The money for the fines for public order violation was collected by Levski supporters who stayed at the stadium for over 3 hours after the match to protest against the attitude of the police in Skopje.

Tony Bonchev: The checks are more serious than security checks for entering the building of the Parliament, in my opinion. Twice checked by police, twice by stewards. At the border – checks by dogs. This is not normal.

Lachezar Marvakov: They take headphones, they take phone chargers, it just seems a bit frivolous and exaggerated. By the way, they said it was dangerous, and if we travel alone – stones may be thrown at us. I understand that happened too.

BNT: Was there a sense of hostility against you?

- Yes, yes. Both in the stadium and outside the stadium.

BNT: To whom do you attribute it all, were there any provocations from the home team, etc.?

Mario Alexiev: No, maybe to the standard political tension between the two countries.

The stabbed Bulgarian Levski fan who underwent emergency surgery at St. Naum University Hospital is recovering. He and those travelling with him were attacked in the Albanian district of Cair. His friends are demanding that the Bulgarian government assist in transporting him back home. North Macedonia's Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski said the attackers had already been identified.

PFC Levski has issued a statement on the events in Skopje. They wrote that they support all the supporters affected in the incidents and that all reports of provocations by the organisers of the match have been passed on to the local authorities and UEFA representatives.

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