THE battle to succeed controversial Ivan Slavkov as head of the Bulgarian Football Union, another of the many posts he holds, is set to come to a head on January 17.
Slavkov's career as a leader of sports bodies has hit severe turbulence following a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee executive, expected to be endorsed at an IOC general assembly meeting in Singapore in July, that he be ousted from the IOC.
Slavkov was suspended from his IOC membership after a BBC documentary on alleged corruption in bidding for the hosting of the 2012 Olympics.
Earlier this month, Yordan Lechkov, a star of the Bulgarian 1994 World Cup football team, said he and his colleagues from the "golden generation" would make a bid to take over the football union.
While he said that he did not want to be elected as head of the BFU, Lechkov he and his colleagues would nominate someone suitable to replace Slavkov, "who put so much shame on Bulgaria".
At the same time, there were reports that IOC president Jacques Rogge had offered Slavkov a deal by which Slavkov would keep his BFU and Bulgarian Olympic Committee posts provided that he resigned from the IOC.
In a letter to Rogge, the text of which was published by Bulgaria's Focus news agency, Slavkov said, "I inform you that I wish to personally report to the IOC session in Singapore to defend my honour and my name...I must stand before my colleagues because any of them may fall victim to indecent, illegal or quite biased acts of pseudo-journalists".
Celebrating his name day on January 7, Ivanovden, he was reported by Bulgarian-language daily Standart to have sung the song "Partisan Preparing for a Battle" and to have introduced Bulgarian football coach Dimitar Penev as "the leader of my opposition".
Of Lechkov, Slavkov said, "he should rather sort out the football in Sliven," a reference to the footballer's hometown, of which Lechkov was elected mayor in 2003.
Over the next few days, support emerged for veteran star goalkeeper Borislav "Bobby" Mihailov, who currently is the deputy head of the BFU, to succeed Slavkov as the head of the BFU.
Levski football team chief executive Nasko Sirakov, another member of the "golden generation" said he supported Mihailov.
"I have always declared myself for changes in the present organisation of Bulgarian football. It has really come to be the time when Ivan Slavkov has to leave his post, or be ousted," Sirakov said.
Another "golden generation" member, Emil Kostadinov, said the time had come for a new beginning in Bulgarian football.
"I am confident that we, the footballers of the previous generation, have the potential and the experience to manage Bulgarian football."
Kostadinov said he was willing to give up his current job to work for the BFU.
Lechkov confirmed that the team-mates' favourite was Mihailov.
He modified earlier statements about the move being about a grab for power over Bulgarian football.
"Our goal is to change the way of management of Bulgarian football. King Football stands much higher than all of us taken together."
On January 12, Bulgarian-language media reported that Slavkov had decided that he would step down as BFU head at the January 17 congress.