Bulgarian football woke to a deadly shock on Wednesday after Iliyan Filipov, the owner and majority shareholder of PFK Botev Plovdiv, was shot dead in Plovdiv.
Filipov, also a prominent business figure in Bulgaria, was reportedly killed at around 1am on a property belonging to him. Police sealed off key access routes into the city, around 150 kilometres from Sofia, as the investigation began.
Quick facts
- Iliyan Filipov was the owner and majority shareholder of Bulgarian top-flight club PFK Botev Plovdiv.
- He was shot dead in Plovdiv on Wednesday morning.
- The killing reportedly took place at about 1am at one of his properties.
- Filipov also led PIMK, a major Bulgarian transport and logistics company.
- Prosecutors have opened an investigation and are seeking those responsible.
Filipov had combined his role in football with leadership of PIMK, one of Bulgaria’s leading transport and logistics businesses. His death leaves Botev Plovdiv facing a major upheaval away from the pitch.
Vanya Hristeva, the district prosecutor in Plovdiv, said investigators were pursuing every possible line of inquiry. “We are actively following all possible leads,” she said.
The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear. Authorities have launched a murder investigation to establish how Filipov was killed and identify whether one or more attackers were involved.
