It’s a whole new beginning to eradicate match fixing from the soccer world and its initiator is not Brazil or Spain but Lokomotiv Plovdiv’s owner: Veselin Mareshki, who has ordered a lie detector test for its team’s players and coach after they lost a surprised match against bottom side Botev Vratsa by 1-0. The winning team Botev Vratsa has already lost five consecutive matches in current season hence its surprised win has raised many concerns of a probable match fixing. To find out any unwanted reason of this defeat, a lie detector test has been ordered. The said match fixing allegations have taken a surge after a prosecutor initiated his investigations recently on four matches played this season that were suspected to be fixed. Bulgarian Football Union has promised to provide every possible support that could lead to find the final offender if there founds to be a behind the scene fixing. Lokomotiv is one of the oldest Bulgarian football clubs having its root back in 1926 and since then it has won many big events prominently 2003-4 season of Bulgarian A Professional Football Group and this defeat is its first in current season.
Match fixing allegations are not new for Bulgarian football clubs as there happened to be many fixing allegations made in the past, and many more are in circulation with the words of mouth. Perhaps, it was the match fixing allegations that caused Spartak Pleven’s youth team to debar from U-19’s championship even before the investigation could be completed. This time too, expressing his strange reactions Lokomotiv Plovdiv’s owner Veselin Mareshki gave his statement to media where he said, “Nobody is insured against defeats but this loss is very strange. The fair play principle is the most important thing for me and all players and coaches will take lie detector tests.”
Though, Bulgarian soccer is facing a dark time as far its fixing scandals are concerned but not to forget their clubs are promptly taking actions against all the said allegations which is a good start to eliminate this devil from its roots. The said lie detector test is scheduled to be completed in next few weeks till then everyone is hoping for the good, and if something unwanted is found, Bulgarian Football Union will not hesitate in taking a harsh action against all the culprits who proved to be involved in this scandal.