A top Bulgarian football club president was gunned down outside his own property in the dead of night, and police are already calling it premeditated murder.
Story Snapshot
- Iliyan Filipov, 53, president and majority owner of Botev Plovdiv, was shot dead around 1 a.m. on September 30, 2026.
- The shooting happened at a property he owned in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city.
- Filipov also owned PIMK, one of Bulgaria’s biggest transport and logistics companies.
- Plovdiv police and prosecutors are investigating the killing as premeditated murder, with no suspect named yet.
A Business Titan And Club Owner Killed Before Dawn
Iliyan Filipov built his name as one of Bulgaria’s most recognized businessmen. He owned PIMK, a major transport and logistics firm, and held majority ownership of Botev Plovdiv, one of the country’s top-flight football clubs.
Reuters reported he was killed around 1 a.m. local time at a property he owned in Plovdiv, cutting short the life of a man deeply tied to the city’s business and sports scene.
Bulgarian state news agency BTA reported that officers received a call about a man who had been shot in a Plovdiv borough at roughly 1 a.m. Wednesday. Club officials confirmed shortly after that Filipov had died from his injuries. The report placed the shooting in the Hristo Smirnenski neighborhood, an area where Filipov kept a personal property.
A Bulgarian soccer club president is shot dead at his home https://t.co/3jvP5mlyMh
— CTV News (@CTVNews) September 30, 2026
Police Call It Premeditated Murder
Plovdiv’s police chief, Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, told reporters the murder took place at about 1 a.m. at a property owned by the businessman.
The Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry and the Plovdiv District Prosecutor’s Office both confirmed they are treating the case as premeditated murder, a designation that signals investigators believe the attack was planned rather than a random act.
Bulgarian broadcaster BNT reported that emergency crews arrived on scene and confirmed his death on the spot. That detail lines up with the broader account: a gunshot call came in near 1 a.m., first responders reached the property quickly, and Filipov could not be saved. No official cause beyond the gunshot wound has been released publicly.
Wire Services Around The World Pick Up The Story
Reuters, the Associated Press and Bulgaria’s own BTA all reported the same core sequence of events within hours of each other on September 30.
Each outlet identified Filipov by name, listed his connection to Botev Plovdiv and PIMK, and confirmed the early-morning timing of the shooting in Plovdiv. That kind of fast, consistent wire coverage from multiple independent newsrooms is exactly the sort of confirmation readers should expect for a fast-moving crime story overseas.
Some outlets described the shooting as happening “near his home,” while others specified “a property he owned,” a small wording difference that likely reflects early reporting rather than any real dispute about what happened.
One European tabloid also listed his age as 49 rather than 53, an inconsistency that has not been resolved against Bulgaria’s civil records. None of that changes the central fact: a well-known club owner was shot and killed outside a property tied to his name.
No Suspect Named Yet In A City With A History
Bulgarian outlets covering the case have noted a grim pattern in Plovdiv football circles, pointing back to the 2005 shooting death of Georgi Iliev, president of rival club Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
That history does not tell investigators who killed Filipov, but it underscores why Bulgarian police are treating this case with the seriousness of a targeted attack rather than a chance encounter. As of the latest reporting, authorities have not named a suspect or announced a motive.
Botev Plovdiv’s leadership released a statement mourning Filipov’s death, and the club now faces the practical question of who steps into his ownership role.
For a country where football clubs and major logistics companies often sit under the same roof, Filipov’s killing removes a central figure from both worlds at once. Bulgarian prosecutors say the investigation continues.
Sources:
reuters.com, bta.bg, blick.ch, apnews.com, bntnews.bg
