Controversy, scandals, forfeit defeats, potential relegation to Bulgaria’s third division. The tumult surrounding CSKA Sofia seemed endless, and the latest one for the books came in the form of Romanian coach Ioan Andone parting ways with the Reds on March 30 2010, less than three months after taking the job.
The incident in Mezdra has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Reds supporters. While it appears that the majority of CSKA faithful condemned the pitch invasion and subsequent attack on players and staff, a group of fans remained proud of their actions and insisted that they had done the club a favour.
In online forums, some supporters claim that Andone’s departure is to be welcomed and that a Bulgarian manager should take the helm. Whether it should be Stoicho Mladenov or Lyuboslav Penev returning, the fans are split, and others are yet undecided.
But it was a CSKA fan shoving Andone in the chest that angered the coach and made him feel concerned for his own safety, ultimately leading him to believe that the job was not worth it.
The incident was clearly seen on television. According to Andone, as quoted by website sportal.bg, "he punched me in the chest. He was arrested afterwards, but those are not the real CSKA supporters."
The club’s financial woes, resulting in delays in players’ wages and what has been described as the "degenerating atmosphere" could have contributed to Andone’s decision. It certainly did not hurt that Andone was being offered the job of taking over Rapid Bucharest, one of the traditional powerhouses of Romanian football, now in danger of missing European qualification for a second straight year.
The days before the announcement saw the Romanian perpetually insisting that he was not going anywhere, that he was in Bulgaria for the long-haul and that he desired to "create something with a lasting legacy".
But hours after claiming that the alleged move to Rapid was "nonsense and sheer media fabrications" and that his future was in Sofia, the club called a news conference to announce the split.
Upon arrival in Bucharest, Andone met Rapid owner George Copos and agreed to take charge of the club until the end of the season. According to reports in Romanian media, the contract has an option for a three-year extension at the end of the season if Andone succeeds in qualifying Rapid for European competitions next season.
His task will be considerable considering Rapid are on 38 points, eight behind leaders CFR Cluj with 46. Perched in seventh place, they trail four points behind the coveted fifth, which offers a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds, now occupied by Dinamo Bucharest.
In Andone’s defence, it is rather apparent that the decision to ditch CSKA was not financially motivated, his salary in Sofia being higher than the terms offered by Rapid. Andone signed for the Reds in January 2010 for 25 000 euro a month, replacing the out-of-favour Penev, while at Rapid his salary will be 45 000 euro until the end of the season.
However, it was apparent that CSKA never really enjoyed their football once the domestic championship resumed following the winter break. The team spilled points with Pirin Blagoevgrad, drew with Beroe 0-0, and could not manage to beat Levski Sofia in the "eternal derby" despite the fact that the Blues fielded a severely-depleted side featuring six youth players in the starting line-up.
The man Andone replaced, Penev, pipped in from Spain, where he will attend a match between two of his former clubs, Valencia and Atletico Madrid, in the Uefa Europa League.
"As a Red, this is painful for me, and it hurts to see the team losing so much ground in the Bulgarian championship. CSKA is losing sight of the title. And did you see what Andone did? He just left, and I knew this would happen because I follow closely what is going on with the team," Penev told sportal.bg.
The club will now be led by Adalbert Zafirov until the end of the season, according to club president Dimitar Borissov. What will follow, only time will tell. One thing is certain, however. CSKA are staring at yet another title slowly slipping away.
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