European soccer experienced a surreal episode when Arda Kardzhali, a team where Petko Ganchev left his mark in the past, mistakenly announced his death and dedicated a minute of silence to him before their match against Levski Sofia. However, the veteran Bulgarian forward was alive and had to come out to deny the news. His reaction did not go unnoticed: "When I heard the terrible news, I poured myself a bit of brandy".
The incident occurred last weekend, when the players of both teams gathered in the center circle of Arena Arda stadium to pay tribute to the supposed death of the 78-year-old former forward. The club, currently fifth in Bulgaria's first division, had received incorrect information and decided to pay tribute before the start of the match.
While the ceremony was taking place in the stadium, Ganchev was driving home to Kolarovo, a small village in southern Bulgaria, intending to watch the match on television. His phone kept ringing, but since he was driving, he couldn't answer immediately.
"I never miss Arda's matches on television. Now against Levski I arrived about ten minutes late because I had work. While driving home, my phone started ringing a lot. But I was driving. I parked in front of the house, entered the yard, and my wife greeted me in tears", he began his story.
Upon entering his home, he found his wife, Nadya, who received him visibly affected. "She shouted: 'Petko, Petko, they announced on television that you're dead'", the former footballer recounted.
The news took him completely by surprise and he soon received confirmation of what happened from friends and acquaintances. Among them was Stoyan Iliev, a former teammate, who was in the stadium and stood up to bid him farewell. Upon learning that it was all a mistake, Iliev expressed his bewilderment by stating that he didn't know "whether to laugh or cry". Ganchev's response was clear: "You can do both".
Arda Kardzhali quickly acknowledged their mistake and issued a statement offering apologies. "The management of PFC Arda wants to express its sincerest apologies to former Arda footballer Petko Ganchev and his family after the club received incorrect information about his death. We wish Petko Ganchev many more years of health and to enjoy Arda's successes", the institution stated.
