Borbalan replaces Kassai in Bulgaria

Former Spanish referee David Fernandez Borbalan is the new chairman of the Refereeing Committee of the Bulgarian Football Union. The invitation came personally from the president of the BFU, Borislav Mihailov, and the two signed a contract for a period of two competition seasons, reported the BFS.
Fernandez Borbalan is one of the most prominent names in Spanish refereeing, with many years of experience in La Liga. He was part of UEFA Elite category and refereed about 300 matches in the Spanish championship and European club tournaments. Borbalan has been the Vice-President of the Spanish Refereeing Committee for 3 years, while for the last 5 seasons he has been a leading referee instructor for UEFA and FIFA, enjoying a huge authority on the international stage. In February of this year, he was already in Bulgaria for the traditional winter seminar of national referees.
“The appointment of a specialist of such rank is another proof of the respect enjoyed by Bulgarian football in Europe. I am convinced that with his experience and expertise, Bulgarian refereeing will develop in a positive direction. I sincerely wish him success, because good results in his work will benefit the entire Bulgarian football,” said Borislav Mihailov. The 50-year-old specialist in football refereeing was born in Almería, and he was an international referee from 2010 to 2018, with 18 matches in Champions League, 20 in Europa League and 6 World Cup qualifiers. He replaces Hungarian Viktor Kassai, who moved to a similar position in Austria. Mihailov’s choice of Fernandez Borbalan was also due to his excellent preparation for working with the VAR system.