The international break can throw up a surprising story from time to time, and this one is no different. Leeds United’s Ilia Gruev has supposedly been at the centre of a ‘serious scandal’ with Bulgaria.
It all started with Spain comfortably beating Bulgaria 3-0, the first of two World Cup qualifying fixtures during the break. Then, it emerged that Gruev would only start on the bench against Georgia on Sunday.
A surprise, given Gruev is arguably Bulgaria’s best player. Gruev came on at half-time, but manager Ilian Iliev said that Gruev had ‘problems’ and suggested the Leeds midfielder had been playing with an injury.
Then, reports from Bulgaria said that the reason for Gruev’s omission was due to a bust-up after the Spain defeat. Gruev and Iliev supposedly went at it in the changing room, described as a ‘serious scandal’.
Bulgaria manager Ilian Iliev speaks to reporters.
Photo by Gokhan Balci/Anadolu via Getty Images
Ilian Iliev discusses reports of ‘serious scandal’ with Ilia Gruev
Gruev is said to have criticised his teammates before hammering under-pressure manager Iliev for a lack of tactical knowledge, sending the Bulgarian side onto the pitch without knowing what to do tactically.
Iliev had removed Gruev from the squad entirely for Georgia, only for the Bulgarian FA president to hear of the incident and reinstate Gruev. He played 45 minutes in the defeat to Georgia on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to reporters as quoted by Bulgarian outlet Fakti, Iliev made the point that had there been an issue with the £4m midfielder or a so-called bust-up, he would not have played Gruev at all on Sunday.
Ilia Gruev sings Bulgaria's national anthem ahead of a Nations League clash against Northern Ireland.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
“Let the one who said there was a scandal explain. Do you think that if he had any problems, he would have been in the squad? After his injury, [he played] one of his strongest matches for the national team.
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“Understand me as you wish. I said what I said. The important thing is that – every profession is difficult, but especially ours is public. Despite the efforts made, you are still the most guilty of something,” he said.
Ilia Gruev’s dismal record with Bulgaria is likely to cause anger
Bulgaria are far from the footballing nation they once were. No longer do they boast star quality in the form of Dimitar Berbatov, Stiliyan Petrov or Martin Petrov. They are a long way from what they once were.
Ilia Gruev in action for Leeds against Newcastle.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Gruev, a fringe player in Daniel Farke’s Leeds side, was voted Bulgaria’s second-best player for 2024. That says it all about the state of Bulgarian football at the moment, where Liam Cooper played last season.
Gruev has now gone an entire year without winning a game with Bulgaria. The last time Bulgaria won a match, in November 2024, the midfielder was injured. That in itself, is likely to cause huge frustration.