Bulgaria: Botev Plovdiv owner Iliyan Filipov shot dead in Plovdiv

Iliyan Filipov, owner and majority shareholder of Botev Plovdiv, a Bulgarian top-flight club, was shot dead at around 1 a.m. on the night of Tuesday 29 to Wednesday 30 September in Plovdiv, the country’s second city, 150 kilometres from Sofia. The businessman also ran PIMK, one of Bulgaria’s largest transport and logistics companies. National radio and the interior ministry confirmed the news.

Prosecutors have opened a murder inquiry. Prosecutor Vanya Hristeva said “all lines of inquiry are being actively explored”: a settling of scores, debts, a personal conflict, compromised business interests. On Wednesday morning the main roads into the city were blocked, CCTV footage was seized and witnesses were urged to come forward. According to RMC Sport, he was hit by a single bullet to the head; accounts differ on the exact scene, between the stairwell of his residential building and one of his flats.

Owner of the club since 2023

Filipov had held a majority stake in Botev Plovdiv since June 2023, according to RMC Sport, and was also overseeing the rebuilding of the Hristo Botev stadium. The same outlet, citing the Bulgarian channel NOVA, reports that he was questioned as a witness in March 2025 in a case of suspected cocaine trafficking, and that PIMK had faced VAT inspections.

The club in mourning

In a statement, Botev Plovdiv wrote that Iliyan Filipov will remain forever engraved in the club’s history. No arrest had been announced by Wednesday midday.