Dimitar Berbatov: Former Man Utd forward faces day of destiny in battle to become Bulgarian Football Union President

Former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov faces a crucial day as he is set to discover if he has been successful in his campaign to become the Bulgarian Football Union's President; current boss Borislav Mihaylov has been in role for most of last 16 years

By Paul Gilmour, Sky Sports News reporter

Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov tells Sky Sports News he expects to be elected as the new President of the Bulgarian Football Union

Dimitar Berbatov faces a day of destiny as he vies to become the new President of the Bulgarian Football Union.

To mark the occasion, Sky Sports News has broken down the key issues in the presidential race and assessed Berbatov's chances of dethroning incumbent Borislav Mihaylov.

What is happening in Sofia today?

Bulgarian football expert Metodi Shumanov says the election for the new Bulgarian Football Union President is a 'close call' between Berbatov and Mihaylov

Around a mile from the Vasil Levski stadium Bulgarian clubs will vote in an emergency election to decide who becomes the next president of the Bulgaria Football Union.

The two most high-profile candidates are the former Manchester United and Tottenham forward Berbatov, who secured enough votes to force the election, and the current president Mihaylov. Berbatov was even forced to court over the legitimacy of his votes but they ruled in his favour hence the election going ahead today.

Mihaylov has been in the role for most of the last 16 years. He resigned when England players were racially abused in 2019, only to return over a year later, claiming the final decision had not actually been sanctioned by the board.

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Why does Dimitar Berbatov want to be the new President?

Berbatov wants "radical change" as he told Bulgarian football expert Metodi Shumanov on Monday. Berbatov believes the high-profile scandals, police raids and corruption allegations are harming the image of Bulgaria across the world.

Berbatov is "fighting the system" as one source close to him told Sky Sports News this week. Another source described how previous election campaigns have been decided without allowing the opposition candidate into the building.

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Does he have a chance of winning?

Image: The current President of Bulgaria's Football Union Borislav Mihaylov has been in charge for much of the last 16 years

Sky Sports News has been told Mihaylov and his associates celebrated on Monday night as they believed they had secured enough votes to ensure the term continues.

It remains to be seen if that is speculation or whether the support from fans can influence the process by putting pressure on their clubs.

Berbatov believes a large number of them will put their rivalry aside to protest outside the venue this morning. 508 votes are available and ultimately the clubs will decide the outcome.

What reaction can Borislav Mihaylov expect?

It's unclear if Mihaylov will show today given the reports that fans will be there protesting against him. However, he has no shortage of support within the national association and manager Yasen Petrov has previously hinted he will resign if Berbatov wins.

Other staff are also fully backing him. The results are expected to filter out around 2pm UK time ahead of Bulgaria's home game with Northern Ireland.

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