Sport
Bulgarian Referee Georgi Kabakov Will Referee Israel-Austria Match; He Is Frozen at Home
Georgi Kabakov, 40 and holding a FIFA badge since 2013, will referee tomorrow (Thursday, 21:45) the national team's first League of Nations match in Linz against Austria. At UEFA he is highly valued and refereed two weeks ago a night match between Lille and Brest in the Champions League, but in Bulgaria he is frozen following a personal dispute with Football Association President Georgi Ivanov, and received only four assignments in the first division in the country this season.
· Source: Walla; photo as published
Bulgarian FIFA referee Georgi Kabakov, who won the award 'Referee of the Year' in his country six times, will referee tomorrow (Thursday, 21:45) the national team's first League of Nations match, as it hosts Linz against Austria, while in Bulgaria he is frozen following a personal dispute with Football Association President Georgi Ivanov.
Bulgarian Georgi Kabakov will referee tomorrow (Thursday, 21:45) the national team's first League of Nations match, as it hosts Linz against Austria. According to the report, in Bulgaria people wonder how 'our most famous referee continues to receive prestigious assignments from UEFA and enjoys disregard in our country.'
In an article on the 'Sportlive' website it was explained that the 'freezing' of 40-year-old Kabakov began during the tenure of the previous head of the referees committee Stanislav Todorov, following a personal dispute between him and Bulgarian Football Association President Georgi Ivanov ('Gonzo'). In October 2025 he was suspended for an unlimited period due to 'insufficient' refereeing as a fourth referee in a derby between Levski Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia, and in spring 2026, following controversial refereeing decisions in a match between Ludogorets and Cherno More, Ivanov publicly called on the referees committee to reconsider his assignments and he was frozen until the end of the season. Even after the appointment of Italian Matteo Trefoloni as head of the referees committee two months ago, Kabakov received only four assignments in Bulgaria's first division this season, and not one match was of one of the big clubs.
At UEFA, by contrast, he is highly valued: two weeks ago he refereed the match between Lille and Brest in the Champions League and sent off Ethan Mbappé, the younger brother of Kylian. Kabakov, born in Plovdiv, holds a FIFA badge since 2013, won the award 'Referee of the Year' in Bulgaria six times, and made his Champions League debut in December 2018 in a match between Valencia and Manchester United.
Kabakov has previously refereed three Israeli teams: last season Maccabi Tel Aviv in a 3-0 loss to AC Milan in the Europa League, in December 2023 Maccabi Haifa 1-2 away to Panathinaikos in the Europa League, and in July 2016 Beitar Jerusalem 1-1 at Jagellonia Bialystok in the Europa League qualifying round.
Source: Walla
