When people don't want you, the most normal thing to do is leave. This was said by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dimitar Iliev, who spoke before the European qualification between Bulgaria and Hungary tonight at 19:00 pm at the National Stadium "Vasil Levski" behind closed doors in the program "This Morning" on bTV.
"Yesterday it became clear that the Metropolitan Directorate of Internal Affairs (MDIA) never said that the match could not be held with an audience. They never refused to guard the match. We need to see the other side as well - this hiding behind UEFA's decision, whether it was provoked by the Bulgarian Football Union with prior correspondence with them," Iliev began and continued:
"I will watch the game, but I will not be at the stadium. From a moral point of view, it's not okay for me to be inside and the fans not to be. If someone is protesting about something, they most likely have a right to protest. If we close the doors today, what will we do next game? Will people stop protesting? I doubt. The biggest moral damage is on the people. The stands are built to be full, not to keep them empty. When people make their wishes clear, there is nothing wrong with giving up your place and giving a chance to someone who might do better. I think that's right".
Iliev also commented on the possibility of the Ministry of Youth and Sports revoking the license of the BFU. "There are very clear rules where the Ministry of Youth and Sports can revoke the license of a federation or not. In history, there have been such interventions by other ministers in other sports. Every attempt by the state to interfere in a sports federation has not ended well. If we take the BFU licence, what would that entail? I have no right to demand the resignation of any president of a federation".
"When people don't want you, the most normal thing to do is leave. They are there for the people. The point of their existence is to have football, good football, to make people happy. They shut down clubs and close stadiums... As a citizen, I have a very strong position on this issue. If I were not the Minister of Sports, I would have joined the protest", added the former racing driver. /BGNES
