Football: 60 days until the start of the World Cup finals...

Friday 10 April 1998 23:02 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

THE president of Bulgaria craves success for his country's footballers at the World Cup finals to distract this citizens from the harsh realities of life in the Balkan nation.

"Sport is a a very important social factor," President Petar Stoyanov said on Thursday. "Bulgarians are undergoing difficult social and economic reforms and are paying a high social price for that. They need a boost and success in France will give us confidence."

In post-communist Bulgaria, living standards are low and unemployment high. Football plays a part in politics: Stoyanov used the support of players like Hristo Stoichkov to help him win the presidency in 1996 by a landslide.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Thank you for registering

Football: 60 days until the start of the World Cup finals...

Join our commenting forum

Thank you for registering