The Eternal Derby
Fans of Levski Sofia (left) and CSKA Sofia (right)
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| Locale | Sofia, Bulgaria |
|---|---|
| Teams |
Levski Sofia CSKA Sofia |
| First meeting | 5 May 1948 |
| Statistics | |
| Most wins | Levski Sofia (79) |
| Largest victory | CSKA 1–7 Levski (1994) |
The Eternal Derby of Bulgarian Football or simply The Eternal Derby is the name of the local derby football match between the two most popular and successful football clubs in Sofia and Bulgaria: PFC Levski Sofia and PFC CSKA Sofia. The clubs have won 26 and 31 national championship titles and 25 and 20 Bulgarian Cup titles, respectively.
The rivalry started in the late 1940s when the newly founded club of CSKA became a champion in their first year in competitive football in 1948. Both the 1948–49 and 1950 seasons ended with the two teams facing each other in Soviet Army Cup finals with Levski Sofia winning on both occasions after extra time of the second final replay, as the previous two final matches had finished as draws.
During the years, as the two teams became more and more successful, they gained large supporter bases. The confrontations between the clubs and their fans became commonplace and often resulted in tense encounters on the pitch and hooligan clashes between the fans off the pitch.
The hostility reached its climax on 19 June 1985 during the Bulgarian Cup final held at Vasil Levski National Stadium when, after many disputable referee decisions, both teams demonstrated poor sportsmanship which resulted in regular fights between them on the pitch. On 21 June, the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party issued a decree that disbanded both teams. CSKA Septemvriysko zname had to be re-founded as Sredets and Levski-Spartak as Vitosha. Six players (including Hristo Stoichkov and Borislav Mikhailov) were banned for life from playing competitive football; many other players and staff members were banned for three months to one year. A year later, the decision was abolished and the players continued their sport careers.
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