[ZoltaR]

Sofia, 15 years later
In March 1990, OM played CSKA, Sofia’s other club in the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Before Thursday’s clash with Levski, take a trip down memory lane with Philippe Thys, the Olympian’s goalscorer in Bulgaria.

Fifteen years ago, Gérard Gili’s OM was on top of its game and earned a second consecutive title as Champions of France. In a year full of domestic success, the Olympians also set Europe alight in the European Cup (forerunner to the Champions League). Chris Waddle and co. had already claimed the scalps of Brondby and AEK Athens before lining up against CSKA Sofia in March 1990. The first leg in Bulgaria ended in a narrow 1-0 win for OM.

The Olympian goalscorer that day, Philippe Thys, remembers a very tough match. « Above all I remember the cold. I was a substitute sitting next to Enzo Francescoli and the pair of us were frozen. I came on after Carlos (Mozer) injured his knee. Gérard Gili wanted to throw me straight on but Bernard Tapie wanted to make sure Carlos couldn’t continue. In the end I made it onto the pitch with 20 minutes left. I scored soon after,” he explained. His cross-cum-shot offered victory to OM in the 85th minute. “I copped a fair bit of flack from my team-mates at the time who all said I was trying to cross. It’s true that luck was on my side that night.” .

It was more than a tough Sofia outfit that comprised the backbone of the Bulgarian national team that would go on to finish fourth at USA ’94: the great CSKA of Stoichkov, Ivanov, Balakov and Kostadinov. “It was a formidable outfit,” confirmed Philippe Thys. “It was still before the great exile of players from the East to the West. Before the Bosman ruling, the best national players of the time all played for the biggest team in their country. At the time it wasn’t an easy match.”
The return match at the Stade Vélodrome, however, was a mere formality and a 3-1 win for OM (Waddle 24 - Papin 27 - Sauzée 73) but the match would be remembered for the terrible injury to Gaëtan Huard. The ‘keeper collided with his defender Eric Mura and fractured his shin in the 83rd minute. OM had already made its two substitutions and it was Jean-Pierre Papin that donned the gloves for the final minutes of the match. “It is mitigated memory with that injury to Gaëtan, because it didn’t need to happen as we were leading 3-0, it was just bad luck,” said Thys. “However the match is still the one that qualified us for the semi-final.” A semi-final against Benfica and the notorious ‘hand of the devil’, but that’s another story…

Today, a talent scout for RC Strasbourg, Philippe Thys hasn’t quit the world of football. As part of his functions, he has even seen OM’s future opponents in the flesh in the UEFA Cup. “We can’t go chasing players from the big championships and I’ve been a few times to Bulgaria where it’s easier to find good players at more reasonable prices. I watched Levski against Beveren last season and they were a good team. I remember a pretty solid team that didn’t have any really fantastic players but pretty solid. I don’t imagine they are the future of Bulgarian football. Just like Hungary, the country is going through a period where they’re not producing great players. But they’ll be back.”.

Letchkov, the only Bulgarian
He joined Marseille for the return to the top-flight in 1996-97, Iordan Letchkov arrived as the future star of the Phocéen side. Despite impressive performances with the Bulgarian team at USA ’94 and Euro ’96, Letchkov failed to impose himself at OM. Just 28 games and two goals later he quit Marseille for Turkish side Besitkas. He is now Mayor of his native Sliven in Bulgaria.

[ZoltaR]

Sofia’s warm welcome
The Phocéens arrived in Bulgaria on Tuesday evening and were greeted by a pleasant surprise. Sofia was not freezing. All the same, not a single Olympian had forgotten to pack a beanie before leaving…



After little more than two hours smooth flying, Bulgaria Air flight FB 7192 touched down in Sofia. Without Sabri Lamouchi, who finally stayed behind to receive treatment on a sore thigh.
I twas 18:50 (17:50 French time) and night had already fallen over the city. Over the loudspeaker, an air hostess revealed the welcome would not be as cold as feared. A relatively mild 6°c was awaiting passengers, with no sign of rain or snow.
Even getting through customs – reputedly a laborious process – was a relative breeze.
Once at the entrance to the airport a pack of Bulgarian journalists descended upon Jean Fernandez. The coach acquiesced and politely took part in the improvised question and answer session with the local journalists who spoke enough French ‘footspeak’ to interrogate Fernandez on his side’s ambitions. Not far away, Franck Ribéry also gained confirmation that his fame reached beyond the French border.
Once outside, the various groups (staff, players, 13 journalists, VIPs such as Michel Hidalgo and 25 members of OM Business Club) went their separate ways.
On Wednesday afternoon the club has a rendezvous at the French Embassy before training at the G. Asparuhov Stadium.
Jean Fernandez’s squad will be joined on Thursday by 350 supporters who arrive by plane (200) but also by coach, mini-bus and cars.
As was the case for the earlier trip to Moscow, the squad will spend the Thursday night in Sofia and return to Marseille on Friday, after a warm-down in the morning.

[sl7vk]

Originally Posted by ZoltaR

Sofia, 15 years later

Poor Letchkov, worst balding pattern ever.....