OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad

FC Pirin

One of OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad's predecessors, FC Pirin, was founded in 1922. FC Pirin has played more than 20 seasons in the top flight and has competed twice in the European football competitions with one participation in the UEFA Cup and one participation in the Cup Winners' Cup respectively. The club's first participation in the UEFA tournaments was not promising. In 1985, Pirin faced the then reigning Swedish champion Hammarby IF. The first game in Blagoevgrad, ended with a 1–3 loss. The second game in Sweden was also a defeat – 0–4 and Pirin were out of the European competitions. Pirin's best season in the Bulgarian top division was in the 1984–85 season, where they finished at 5th place at the end of the season. The club was also three times runner-up of the Bulgarian Cup. Also, Pirin's youth academy is attributed as being one of the best developers of young and unknown players in Bulgaria. Among the club's famous players are Dimitar Berbatov, Spas Delev, Petar Mihtarski, Ivaylo Andonov, Ivan Cvetkov, Vladislav Zlatinov and Petar Zlatinov.

On August 18, 2006, after failing to arrange some debts and signals of corruption, Pirin was expelled from the A PFG, the team's results for the season were annulled, and the club was relegated to the Bulgarian South-West V AFG. However, after two years, Pirin won the South-West V AFG and the club returned for the upcoming season of the Western B PFG.

Unification

In December 2008, Pirin, which competed in the Western B PFG, was merged with PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad, (former FC Makedonska Slava), which played in the A PFG after a significant pressure from the supporters in the town. The new club was named FC Pirin Blagoevgrad and was soon proclaimed as a holder of the club records of the former FC Pirin, which competed for more than 20 seasons in the top flight.^[1] FC Pirin's West B PFG place was taken by FC Bansko. Then, Nikolay Galchev appointed Petar Mihtarski as a manager of the club. A few months later, under Naci Şensoy's management, the successes followed-up and Pirin qualified for the final of the Bulgarian Cup, eliminating subsequently on their way CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia. In the final match played at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia, Pirin were eliminated after a 3–0 defeat against Litex Lovech.

OFC Pirin

In the foremath of the 2011–12 season, Pirin Blagoevgrad failed to receive a professional license for the A Group. However, due to their financial struggles they were also rejected to participate in the South-West V AFG. Later that year, they acquired the license of Perun Kresna. The team finished 2011-12 season as Perun, but for 2012-13 the team was renamed to OFC Pirin.

In 2015, the club achieved promotion to the A Group after a four-year absence from top-flight football.

From 2018-19 season, they are not elite football club.

Colours

Currently, the team's home kit is green and the away kit is white. Various combinations of green and white have been used throughout the club's history.

Domestic

First League:

• 5th place (1): 1984–85

Bulgarian Cup:

• Runner-up (4): 1981, 1992, 1994, 2009

European

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1985–86	UEFA Cup	1		Hammarby	1–3	0–4	1–7
1994–95	Cup Winners' Cup	QR		Schaan	3–0	1–0	4–0
		1		Panathinaikos	0–2	1–6	1–8

Current squad

As of 7 July 2018

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 3 MF Aleksandar Bastunov (on loan from Septemvri Sofia) 4 MF Emil Petrov 5 DF Dimitar Mitev 6 DF Evgeni Tuntev 7 MF Lyubomir Hristov 8 MF Milko Georgiev (on loan from Botev Plovdiv) 9 FW Vladislav Zlatinov 10 MF Nikola Georgiev 11 MF Manol Chapov 14 FW Kiril Grozdanov 15 MF Dimitar Blagov 16 MF Todor Trayanov 18 DF Yulian Popev (captain)

No. Position Player 19 FW Rosen Krastev 20 MF Tsvetomir Vachev 21 DF Aleksandar Bashliev 22 GK Radoslav Angelski 23 MF Mario Topuzov 24 MF Anton Kostadinov 25 MF Metodiy Stefanov 26 FW Lyubomir Tsolev 27 DF Asparuh Smilkov 29 FW Petar Hristov 30 DF Iliyan Mitrev 44 DF Veselin Lyubomirov 72 GK Ivaylo Yanachkov

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2018.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 5 MF Hristo Mladenov (at Strumska Slava until 30 June 2018)

Foreign players

Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First Professional League however only three can be used in a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.

League positions

Last Seasons