The 2015–16 A Group was the 92nd season of the top division of the Bulgarian football league system, and 68th since a league format was adopted for the national competition of A Group as a top tier of the pyramid. The season has started on 17 July 2015 and is expected to end in May 2016. The league is contested by ten teams. Ludogorets Razgrad were the defending champions, and successfully defended the title after Levski Sofia's home loss against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the 29th round.[1] The title is Ludogorets' fifth consecutive and overall.
| Season | 2015–16 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 17 July 2015 – 28 May 2016 |
| Champions | Ludogorets Razgrad (5th title) |
| Relegated | Litex Lovech (expelled) |
| Champions League | Ludogorets Razgrad |
| Europa League | Levski Sofia Beroe Slavia Sofia |
| Matches played | 144 |
| Goals scored | 317 (2.2 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Martin Kamburov (18) |
| Biggest home win | Montana 6–0 Botev Plovdiv |
| Biggest away win | Slavia Sofia 0–5 Ludogorets |
| Highest scoring | Beroe 5–2 Lokomotiv Plovdiv |
← 2014–15 2016–17 →
All statistics correct as of 28 May 2016. | |
Competition format edit
The league is contested by ten teams and will be played in a quadruple round robin format, with each team playing every other team four times over 36 rounds.[2]
Teams edit
A total of 12 teams were set to contest the league, including the best 10 sides from the previous season, plus two promoted clubs from the lower division B Group.
On 22 June 2015, the BFU announced the final list of participants for the 2015–16 season. CSKA Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia were both denied a professional license for the following season due to outstanding debts and would have to compete in the V AFG or fold. The group was kept at 10 teams. Marek Dupnitsa and Haskovo, who finished in the bottom two places of the table at the end of previous season, also failed to receive professional license, and were relegated to V Group.[3]
The relegated teams were replaced by Montana, the 2014–15 B Group champions and Pirin Blagoevgrad, the 2014–15 B Group runner-up. While Montana returns to the top division after two years, Pirin reaches again the highest class after 4 years.
Stadia and locations edit
Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity (seating) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beroe | Stara Zagora | Beroe | 12,128 |
| Botev | Plovdiv | Botev 1912 Football Complex | 4,000 |
| Cherno More | Varna | Ticha | 8,250 |
| Levski | Sofia | Georgi Asparuhov | 25,000 |
| Litex | Lovech | Gradski | 8,100 |
| Lokomotiv | Plovdiv | Lokomotiv | 10,000 |
| Ludogorets | Razgrad | Ludogorets Arena | 7,500 |
| Montana | Montana | Ogosta | 6,000 |
| Pirin | Blagoevgrad | Hristo Botev | 7,000 |
| Slavia | Sofia | Slavia | 25,556 |
Personnel and sponsoring edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players and Managers may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beroe | Plamen Lipenski (caretaker)
|
Ivo Ivanov
|
Uhlsport | BEROE, Refan |
| Botev Plovdiv | Nikolay Kostov
|
Yordan Hristov
|
Uhlsport | efbet |
| Cherno More | Nikola Spasov
|
Mihail Venkov
|
Uhlsport | Armeets |
| Levski Sofia |  Ljupko Petrović
|
Veselin Minev
|
Joma | Vivacom, efbet, Strabag |
| Litex Lovech | Lyuboslav Penev
|
Anton Nedyalkov
|
adidas | Prima |
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | Ilian Iliev
|
Martin Kamburov
|
Uhlsport | efbet |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Georgi Dermendzhiev
|
Svetoslav Dyakov
|
Macron | eCasino.bg, Vivacom |
| Montana | Emil Velev
|
Hristo Ivanov
|
Jako | Montana Municipality |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad |  Naci Şensoy
|
Yuliyan Popev
|
Joma | Lafka |
| Slavia Sofia |  Aleksandr Tarkhanov
|
Georgi Petkov
|
Joma | Asset Insurance, efbet |
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Ivo Trenchev
|
End of caretaker tenure | 31 May 2015 | Pre-season | Nedelcho Matushev
|
6 June 2015[4] |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Georgi Dermendzhiev
|
Resigned | 31 May 2015 |  Bruno Ribeiro
|
17 June 2015[5] | |
| Litex Lovech | Krasimir Balakov
|
11 July 2015 | Ljupko Petrović (interim)
|
12 July 2015 | ||
| Botev Plovdiv | Petar Penchev
|
Sacked | 25 July 2015 | 9th |  Ermin Šiljak
|
27 July 2015 |
| Litex Lovech | Ljupko Petrović (interim)
|
Resigned | 5 August 2015 | 1st |  Laurențiu Reghecampf
|
5 August 2015 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Bruno Ribeiro
|
Sacked | 2 September 2015[6] | 1st | Eduard Eranosyan
|
2 September 2015 |
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | Nedelcho Matushev
|
Resigned | 26 September 2015 | 10th | Naci Şensoy
|
14 October 2015 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | Eduard Eranosyan
|
6 November 2015 | 3rd | Georgi Dermendzhiev
|
6 November 2015 | |
| Montana | Ferario Spasov
|
8 November 2015 | 9th | Emil Velev
|
11 November 2015 | |
| Botev Plovdiv | Ermin Šiljak
|
9 November 2015 | 8th | Nikolay Kostov
|
11 November 2015 | |
| Slavia Sofia | Ivan Kolev
|
30 November 2015 | 6th | Vladimir Ivanov (caretaker)
|
30 November 2015 | |
| Litex Lovech | Laurențiu Reghecampf
|
Signed by Steaua București
|
3 December 2015 | 3rd | Ljupko Petrović (interim)
|
3 December 2015 |
| Slavia Sofia | Vladimir Ivanov
|
End of caretaker tenure | 18 December 2015 | 5th | Aleksandr Tarkhanov
|
18 December 2015 |
| Litex Lovech | Ljupko Petrović (interim)
|
End of contract | 23 December 2015 | 10th | Lyuboslav Penev
|
22 January 2016 |
| Lokomotiv Plovdiv | Hristo Kolev
|
Mutual agreement | 26 February 2016 | 7th | Ilian Iliev
|
26 February 2016[7] |
| Beroe | Petar Hubchev
|
Sacked | 7 April 2016[8] | 4th | Plamen Lipenski (caretaker)
|
8 April 2016 |
| Levski Sofia | Stoycho Stoev
|
Mutual agreement | 13 May 2016 | 2nd | Ljupko Petrović
|
17 May 2016 |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ludogorets Razgrad (C) | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 55 | 21 | +34 | 70 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Levski Sofia | 32 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 36 | 18 | +18 | 56 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Beroe | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 37 | 27 | +10 | 53 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Slavia Sofia | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 49[a] | |
| 5 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 32 | 15 | 4 | 13 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 49[a] | |
| 6 | Cherno More | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 36 | 45 | −9 | 38 | |
| 7 | Botev Plovdiv | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 27 | 44 | −17 | 33 | |
| 8 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 32 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 45 | −18 | 26 | |
| 9 | Montana (O) | 32 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 23 | 43 | −20 | 21 | Qualification for the relegation playoff |
| 10 | Litex Lovech (D, R, R, R) | 0 | 0 (8) | 0 (9) | 0 (3) | 0 (29) | 0 (19) | — | 0 | Expelled and relegated to the Second League[b] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if two teams); 6) Goal difference; 7) Goals scored; 8) Fairplay ranking; 9) Draw.[13]
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ a b Slavia Sofia ahead of Lokomotiv Plovdiv on head-to-head record; Slavia Sofia–Lokomotiv Plovdiv 3–0, Lokomotiv Plovdiv–Slavia Sofia 2–0, Slavia Sofia–Lokomotiv Plovdiv 3–0, Lokomotiv Plovdiv–Slavia Sofia 3–1.
- ^ On 16 December 2015, Litex Lovech were expelled from the league after their players left the field in protest over referee decisions in a match against Levski Sofia on 12 December 2015.[9][10] On 20 January 2016 it was announced that Litex Lovech would be relegated to B Group[11] All results from played matches involving Litex Lovech were annulled on 22 January 2016.[12]
Results edit
|
|
|
Relegation playoff edit
Positions by round edit
Season statistics edit
Top scorers edit
- Note
1 Including 2 goals for Montana.
Updated on 28 May 2016
Hat-tricks edit
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Minchev |
Montana | Botev Plovdiv | 6–0 | 25 July 2015 |
| Martin Kamburov |
Lokomotiv Plovdiv | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 4–2 | 1 April 2016 |
| Ventsislav Hristov |
Levski Sofia | Cherno More | 5–1 | 28 April 2016 |
Updated on 28 April 2016
Clean sheets edit
- Levski Sofia – 13
- Ludogorets – 12
- Slavia Sofia – 12
- Beroe – 11
Transfers edit
References edit
- ^ "Левски сгафи на "Герена" и връчи титлата на Лудогорец" (in Bulgarian). gong. 10 May 2016.
- ^ ""А" група стартира на 18 юли" (in Bulgarian). bfunion.bg. 22 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Очакваме жребий без ЦСКА и Локомотив Сф" (in Bulgarian). gong.bg. 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Неделчо Матушев поема Пирин" (in Bulgarian). pirinfc.com. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ "Bruno Ribeiro is the new head coach of PFC Ludogorets". ludogorets.com. 17 June 2015.
- ^ "Лудогорец пусна Рибейро по пързалката с дисциплинарно уволнение" (in Bulgarian). gong. 2 September 2015.
- ^ "Илиан Илиев е новият старши треньор на Локомотив" (in Bulgarian). PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv. 26 February 2016.
- ^ ""Берое" се раздели с Хубчев, нов Съвет на директорите" (in Bulgarian). PFC Beroe Stara Zagora. 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Decision DK 12/16/2015" (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian Football Union. 16 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Litex Lovech expelled from Bulgarian league over protest". BBC Sport. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ "Михайлов обяви бъдещето на Литекс и заяви, че има идея ЦСКА да играе в "А" група (видео)" [Mikhailov said the future of Litex and said he has an idea CSKA to play in group "A" (video)] (in Bulgarian). Sportal.bg. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Анулираха резултатите на Литекс" [Cancellation results Litex] (in Bulgarian). Sportal.bg. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.[ ]
- ^ "A PFG 2015/2016 – Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2015.