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FC Lovech

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PFC Litex Lovech
File:Bul-litex-lovech.gif
Full namePFC Litex Lovech AD
Nickname(s)The Lilacs
Founded1921
GroundLovech stadium
Capacity7000
ChairmanAngel Bonchev
ManagerStoicho Stoilov
LeagueBulgarian Premier
2004-05?

FC Litex Lovech is a Bulgarian football club, from the town of Lovech. Litex takes part in the Bulgarian Premier League. The team plays its home games at the local "Lovech" stadium with 7 000 seats, electric lighting and permission to stage international matches. Litex has twice been Bulgarian champion, and twice Bulgarian Cup Winner.

History

The football club of the town of Lovech was founded in 1921 under the name "Hisarya". The first official game was held in 1923. The club changed its name several times over the years before becoming "Osam" in 1979. Under that name the club played constantly in the Bulgarian Second Division and was close to promotion several times, but it finally achieved that in 1994 under the name LEX (the sponsoring firm at the time) after finishing in 1st position. The first season in the Premier League was a kind of success for a club like LEX, finishing in 11th position after beating the teams of CSKA (1:0), Slavia (1:0) and Lokomotiv Plovdiv (1:0), which were some of the best teams in Bulgaria at the time. The next season was not so successful and the team, renamed "Lovech" in the meantime, was relegated back to the Second Division. This was the turning point in the history of the club. Petrol businessman and citizen of Lovech, Grisha Ganchev, bought the club and renamed it Litex. Almost all of the current players were released and a great new selection was made. Many unknown players came, but also some from the biggest clubs in Bulgaria, many of them announced as "unpromising" by their ex-clubs. The team won first place without difficulty, finishing with more than 10 points ahead of the second team in the table. In the same season Litex reached the quarter-final of the Bulgarian Cup and the final of the Bulgarian League Cup, which they unfortunately lost after a 2:2 draw in regular time, and a penalty shoot-out. Litex also won against every team from the top of the table of the Bulgarian First Division (in friendly matches or Cup matches) and everyone in Bulgaria started talking about the "phenomenon" Litex Lovech.

In 1997 Litex were promoted for a second time to the First Division and immediately became Bulgarian champions, finishing the season with 5 points more than the second-placed Levski Sofia. This was unprecedented in Bulgarian football history. Their first participation in European Club Tournaments was also not bad, eliminating the Swedish team Halmstad (2:0 and 1:2) and reaching the second qualifying round (lost against Spartak Moscow). Next year the team won the Bulgarian Championship for the second successive time.

Litex Lovech has also won the Bulgarian Cup twice - in 2001 (beating the team of Velbujd 1:0 in the final after extra time) and in 2004 (a win over CSKA after 2:2 in the regular time and a penalty shoot-out).

Litex is also the team which inflicted the biggest defeat on CSKA Sofia - 8:0 in Lovech in the autumn of 1998. Lovech is also the only Bulgarian team with a win agains a German team in Germany - 2:0 over Union Berlin in the Second Round of the UEFA Cup in October 2001.

The best achievement of the club in the European Club Tournaments at this time is reaching the Third Round of the UEFA Cup in 2001, eliminating three teams and defeating AEK Athens 2:3 and 1:1. The biggest win in Europe so far is 7:0 over Zeljeznicar Sarajevo in Lovech in August 2004.

Info

  • Full name: PFC Litex Lovech AD
  • Town: Lovech
  • Founded: 1921
  • Nicknames: "The Lilacs"
  • President: Angel Bonchev
  • Manager: Stoicho Stoilov
  • Sponsor: Grisha Ganchev
  • Coach: Lyupko Petrovich (Serbia and Montenegro)

Achievements

Noted players

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