2024-04-26 22:03:17
A scandal involving children being kicked out of water polo competitions with vested interests and a tangled administrative mess that makes it clear that many are found to be equally “guilty”, but only children from one club suffer the heaviest punishment and are banned from the tournaments organized by the Bulgarian Water Polo Federation. Official reports on the case have been submitted to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Child Protection Agency, and a letter has also been sent to the mayor of Vratsa, Kalin Kamenov.
This was revealed to “24 Chasa” by Mitko Nachev from the Vratsa club “Botev 2000”, after the under-13 team was removed from participation in the state championships. In his words, “from the whole story, there is also a serious mess with the coaches, as well as with the documents of all officials participating in meetings from the federation’s calendar, but the most serious problem remains to throw children out of the pool in an unforgiving and discriminatory manner.”
From March 8 to 10, 2024, Varna will host the second tournament under the age of 13, “Elite” group – final six.
“Our first match passed. We won with 8:4 against our city rival “Botev” (Vratsa). The tournament was attended by Petar Petrov, a member of the Board of the Bulgarian Water Polo Federation. He is the son of the coach of KVT “Botev” (Vratsa ) Ventsislav Petrov, and his son and grandson of Ventsislav Petrov competes for his grandfather’s team, although he is carded in Levski from the chairman of the federation, Darius Danovski, who raised a scandal against him. The next day, the chief judge informs us that
after a phone call
we are forbidden to be admitted
until participation in our second meeting with “Commodore” (Varna) because of our coach. Our coach registered in the team list is Mr. Ardashes Hovhannesyan – registered in the register of coaching personnel of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. After the scandal, why did he allow us to participate, the chief judge explained that we provided all the necessary documents, a civil contract between the club and Hovhannesyan and a registration number in the Ministry of Sports. “But do you know that they didn’t have a card file”, followed on the phone. From which even the chief judge Nikola Nanov understands that someone, somewhere is making some kind of files. He replies that he does not have access to a register or files – how can he know which coach is registered or not. And how is this carding done in the federation at all. The chairman of the federation threatened Nikola Nanov that he would be punished.
The next morning is our second game against “Commodore”. The meeting is delayed, Nanov has phone calls again – with the chairman, with the executive director. In the end, he is told that this game should not be played, that a forfeit should be awarded to us. The kids were in the water, waiting to start. I kept wondering what was going on and ran around the pool. I was explaining that this was incorrect. They said there was nothing they could do – official loss 0:10.
We decided to play the match as a friendly, anyway the kids were there, isn’t that why they play sports, isn’t their love for sports important? After the first part, the head judge received another call. I watched carefully and it was clear to me that it was starting
new commotion because
apparently the bosses are all the same
realized how much bigger
they made a mess
Apparently, the executive director opened the registry in question, to which only he has access. And he has seen their secret list, according to which 15 people have been tagged. All other coaches in Bulgaria are not registered. Of 60 or 70 people. And here comes the new order: “Let the match be played regularly”. Nanov replies that one part has already been played as a friendly match, official result is written in the protocol, it cannot.
After about half an hour, he gives us the lists of the coaches registered in the federation and invites us each to show the coaches’ documents so that they can be registered in the federation.
Under 17 tournaments for boys and for women are also played on the same dates in Sofia. There are games being played all over the country, and suddenly almost all the coaches who are scattered around the country realize that they are without file cabinets.
A frenzy begins – documents, contracts, photos of the coaches are leaked… And they are the same people. Now them
they photograph and file them
during a tournament
after mid-season
Total exposure. And in the end, what – they only punish us”, says Mitko Nachev from the Botev 2000 SCPS (Vratsa).
After checking the coaches’ register in the online system of BFVT, to which the clubs did not have access, it turned out that only the coaches of KPS “Varna”, “Comodor” (Varna), CSKA, “Levski”, “Botev” (Vratsa) , “Ticha” (Varna), Vasil Milenov from “Arena” (Burgas), Alexander Krastanov from “Slavia” and Grigor Kostadinov from “Cherno More” have been registered. “The register doesn’t say which coach is registered with which club, and the above are just our assumptions,” clarifies Nachev. And he adds how by email at noon on March 9, everyone was required to send their documents by 4 p.m. on the same day.
“There is no one to blame for the mistake. The only and most guilty are our children under 13, who are punished by being removed from the championship,” he says.
“But notice the other thing – we played the third, fourth and fifth matches of the tournament in Varna normally. There is a protocol. That is, we have one official loss. On Monday, a complaint was received from the team from Vratsa, which we defeated on Friday, even before it became clear to everyone these disagreements with the undocumented coaches. Discussions began. We said that
or all should
to be punished
or nobody
But to punish everyone, they should almost stop all championships. And the scandal becomes serious.
A letter arrives in which the executive director Ljubo Bonev writes that he applies the points laid down in the regulation – that we do not have a registered coach, as a result of which we have two official losses. Note – they are for this tournament only. Two other coaches of ours have led this team in the qualifiers, meaning we should have been disqualified at the qualifiers, not after the middle of the season. But let’s not forget that, according to this logic, the others should have been disqualified as well.
They neither gave us the right to appeal, nor did they provide facts and arguments on the basis of which we were punished. Yes, we know the regulation, but based on what document do they apply it to us and not apply it to others? Is it a report from the chief judge, is it a decision of a disciplinary committee, or the Board of Directors?
We have written an email to all clubs because the general meeting is the supreme body. The clubs wrote that they were against this decision. We are the only ones punished under the age of 13. And then thrown out. You throw little children out of the competition, and you beat your chest about how we were going to participate in the Olympic Games in 2032,” says Mitko Nachev from “Botev 2000” (Vratsa).
Last year, the federation withdrew the under-15 team of the same club from participation.
“Another mistake on their part. The board have the right to change the dates of the matches but must notify the clubs no less than 14 days before the competition itself. They broke their own rule and changed the dates at short notice by canceling two competitions the same time. In the case of men and boys under 15. Then we lost one of our competitors – he is registered as an assistant swimming coach. And the law allows him to be coach and in similar sports, such as water polo. The men’s tournament went well, we even qualified for the finals. But they punished the boys under 15 who had to play their matches in parallel – because the coach is not legitimate .
Before playing these tournaments, we asked for permissions, the CEO said it’s okay. But we made one mistake – do it only verbally. And subsequently they punished us for not being registered. Absolute nagging. They are aware that we cannot have seven coaches for seven age groups. And no matter that they provoked the intercession by breaking their rules, no matter that they allowed us verbally, they threw the children out most mercilessly. And now the worst thing is that they are doing it with even younger children. For the second year in a row. This is a precedent in water polo, and perhaps also in Bulgarian sports. To throw out in two years in a row children of two ages of the same club for these reasons. And in our “massive” sport, water polo, where we have to do everything in our power to encourage children to play water polo,” Nachev says.
On April 12, 2024, at the “Diana” pool in Sofia, the third round of the under-13 state championship, “Elite” group, begins. “We went to Sofia with the 13-year-olds who were punished. The 15-year-olds who were thrown out last year also came. Plus at least one parent for almost every child. Our idea was that we want to compete, we want the children to participate quite legitimately in the third round of the “Elite” group. Before that, I wrote to the federation that the other clubs support us, I asked them to return us to the program.
I went into the conference, brought the documents and asked the delegate when we would be competing. He said, “You are punished.” I asked that they let us see at least some punishment document. “Well no, that’s what the executive director told me,” we got instead of a document.
I asked everyone to get out their file folders, including the judges. The regulation states that all persons taking part – judges, delegates, coaches – must have a card file for the current season. They looked at me blankly and blinked. I also asked the coaches. And they: “Well, we don’t have file cabinets”. Well then, why are we being punished, why only us? The delegate rummaged through the phone, provided some kind of list, but no file. The judges couldn’t provide anything. The coaches removed some plastics from the federation, but for the 2022-2023 season. For the new one, they didn’t even bother to give them that either. It became a comical situation.
Even the gentleman himself, because of whose complaint we were kicked out, told me “I don’t have any” when I asked him to take out his file. “Well, you’re just as illegitimate as everyone else,” I told him.
They called the executive director. One of Slavia’s coaches told him: “The delegate gave us a list, but I don’t see our names on it.” What’s next? “Don’t worry, you’re carded.” “Okay, but where can I see him,” asks the coach. “Don’t worry, I’m telling you. Play,” replied the director.
Then I asked where we could see the judges’ files. “Who is asking?” I introduced myself: “I’m Mitko Nachev”. “But what are you doing there, you have no right to be there.” I replied that he, as the executive director, had no right to punish the children either, but he did. “You’re all carded, play,” were his last words. And hang up the phone,” continued Nachev.
“Other coaches asked the cross-town rival’s coach, ‘Okay, why are you doing it?’ Why do you want to punish the children?”.
“It’s in my interest
that they do not compete,”
says the coach of “Botev” (Vratsa) at the conference before the third tournament in the “Elite” U13 group. And because the parents were angry, they decided to send a letter to the mayor of Vratsa, since this person receives some kind of subsidy from the municipality of Vratsa, but makes it so that children from the same city, training at the same pool, are punished,” said Mitko Nachev.
“Now all of us – led by the children and their parents, expect the institutions to intervene, do all the necessary checks and hold the leadership of the water polo federation accountable for the whole mess they messed up, punishing without evidence and in a completely discriminatory manner the only “culprits” “- the 13-year-old children of a single club because of someone’s personal interest,” concluded Mitko Nachev.