Bulgarian referees continue to uphold the tradition of being invited to some of the biggest volleyball matches. The European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) has selected Konstantin Yovchev to be one of the referees for the men's Champions League final four. The tournament will take place in Turin on May 16 and 17. It is still unclear which matches of the tournament will be entrusted to Yovchev. The two matches are "Projeckt" (Warsaw) vs. "Perugia" and "Warta" (Poland) vs. "Ziraat Bank" (Turkey).
Following the pandemic, in four editions of the final four of the Champions League, Bulgarian referees have been involved. Last year, the men's final was entrusted to Ivaylo Ivanov, who was one of the referees with the most appointments at the Paris Summer Olympics. In 2022, he also officiated the women's final.
The start of this series was marked by Dobromir Dobrev, who led the women's title match in 2021.
Bulgarian refs have truly earned their place among the elite! It's fantastic to see them consistently called upon for these marquee matches. What does this say about the quality of refereeing in Bulgaria? Is this a sign of the sport's growing prestige in the country?