OFC Vihren Sandanski
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| Full name | OFC Vihren Sandanski | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Gladiators | ||
| Founded | May 24, 1925 | ||
| Ground | Sandanski Stadium, Sandanski | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Manager | Zdravko Lazarov | ||
| League | South-West Third League | ||
| 2018–19 | South-West Third League, 3rd | ||
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OFC Vihren (Bulgarian: Вихрен Сандански) is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Sandanski, currently playing in the South-West Third League. Sandanski's home ground is the Sandanski Stadium in Sandanski with a capacity of 6,000. Vihren Sandanski's team colours are green and white.
Vihren was founded in 1925, changing its name several times during its early existence. Up until the early 2000s, Vihren played mostly in either the second or third tiers of Bulgarian football. Season 2004-05 is arguably the most important in the club's history, as the team managed to promote to the A PFG, or first tier of Bulgarian football, for the first time. Vihren managed to play four consecutive seasons in the elite, before suffering relegation after the 2008-09 season. Since then, the Gladiators have played mostly in the third regional tier.
Equipment
Currently the team's home kit is green and the away kit is white. Various combinations of green and white have been used through the years, but green remains the basic colour of the team.
History
The club was founded on 24 May 1925. It has carried the names Ustrem, Gotse Delchev, Yane Sandanski and Cherveno zname throughout its history.
Until the 2004/05 season, the team participated in either the second or the third Bulgarian division, but gained promotion to the Bulgarian A PFG for the 2005/06 season. Before their first year of playing in A PFG, Vihren's owner decided to bring players from other country. His first signing was the ex-FC Porto player Jose Furtado. He was from the Portuguese side G.D. Tourizense for free. Brazilian player Serginio Dias, and Portuguese players Mauro Alexandre and Nuno Almeida were just a few players who signed for FC Vihren after Furtado. The team coach was named Petar Zhekov. Vihren finished season 2005-06 on 10th place in A PFG with 30 points. In season 2007-08, FC Vihren's owner Konstantin Dinev decided to bring Portuguese coach Rui Dias. The club signed eight Portuguese and two Brazilian players. But three months later, Rui Dias was discharged for poor results. At the end of the season, the team finished in 10th place. Season 2008/09 started excellent with a 1-0 win against Bulgarian Vice-champion Levski Sofia. In the 4th round, the club defeated Lokomotiv Sofia. In January 2008, Vihren signed notable Greek players Christos Maladenis and Dimitrios Zografakis. In the end of the season the team finished in 14th place and were relegated to B PFG.
League positions
Honours
- quarter finalist Cup of the Soviet Army: 1985/86
Current squad
As of 1 February 2020
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managerial history
This is a list of the last ten Vihren managers:
| Name | Nat | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kostadin Todorov | 
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January 2000 | January 2001 |
| Vasil Metodiev |
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January 2001 | June 2002 |
| Yordan Bozdanski |
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December 2002 | May 2004 |
| Petar Zhekov |
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June 2004 | May 2005 |
| Petar Zhekov |
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June 2005 | May 2006 |
| Dionysis Beslikas | 
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June 2006 | August 2006 |
| Petar Zhekov |
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August 2006 | May 2007 |
| Rui Dias | 
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June 2007 | October 2007 |
| Eduard Eranosyan |
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October 2007 | November 2007 |
| Filip Filipov |
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December 2007 | incumbent |
As of December 31, 2009.
Ḥristo Ristoskov== Notable players ==
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Former foreign players
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References
External links
- Official website (in Bulgarian)
- OFC Vihren Sandanski at bgclubs.eu
| League competitions | |
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| Cup competitions | |
| Defunct competitions |
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| National teams | |
| Regional Amateur Football Groups | |
| Lists | |
| Awards | |