Fond farewell for Stoilov

Former PFC Levski Sofia captain Stanimir Stoilov will celebrate his retirement with an exhibition game on 3 June.

Veterans return
The 36-year-old defender will take his final bow in professional football in a game which will see the current Levski side play against a team of Levski veterans. The veterans side will feature many of Stoilov's old team-mates and several members of the famous Bulgarian side who overcame enormous odds to finish third at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

Fundraising aims
Borislav Mihaylov, Plamen Nikolov, Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Daniel Borimirov, Zlatko Yankov, Ilian Iliev, Nasko Sirakov and Petar Mihtarski have all been invited to appear in a game which will raise funds for a new synthetic pitch to be laid at the club's Georgi Asparuhov training complex.

Final fling
Stoilov hung up his boots for what he thought would be the final time at the end of last season, but a lack of experience in the Levski defence and the need for a leader on the pitch saw the club plead with the former international to stay until the end of this season.

Great career
Stoilov has also played for PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria in a career which also saw him spend time at Turkish side Fenerbahçe SK and Portuguese club SC Campomaiorense. He also earned 13 caps for the Bulgarian national team, scoring three goals.

Coaching role
He won three championship titles and two Bulgarian Cups in his last three seasons at Levski as a player, but will now concentrate solely on his coaching role at the club. His side currently lie in second place in the Bulgarian Professional League, and are on course for a place in next season's UEFA Cup.