A bizarre red card incident has emerged from Bulgaria’s First League, involving players who are reportedly close friends. During Cherno More’s 1-2 loss away to Dobrudzha in Dobrich on March 3, 2026, Cherno More’s Ertan Tombak was sent off by referee Georgi Kabakov after appearing to spit in the direction of Dobrudzha captain Ventislav Kerchev’s feet.
Former Cherno More manager Velislav Vutsov revealed the surprising backstory, stating that Tombak’s action was a misguided attempt at a joke. Vutsov has urged the Disciplinary Committee to show leniency and reconsider the two-match suspension handed down to Tombak.
“These two lads, Tombak and Kerchev, are best friends from their time at Slavia,” Vutsov explained. “Kerchev travels to Varna almost every other day to have coffee with him. They are incredibly close. It seems Tombak was trying to be funny in a clumsy way. As Kerchev walked past him, he made a ‘hck’ sound and spat towards his feet – not *at* him, but in his general direction. It was a clear display of disrespect and you simply can’t spit towards an opponent.”
“Kabakov saw it and had to act. Tombak reportedly said to Kerchev, ‘Admit it, you grasp you’ll suspend me for a few games.’ Kerchev asked, ‘What are you talking about, you didn’t even spit on me!’ And Tombak replied, ‘I’m not going to talk to you anymore.’ What good does that do? If you don’t have any sense, you shouldn’t be spitting in someone’s direction – it’s just foolish. And now he’ll face the consequences… if my voice can be heard.”
Vutsov believes the Disciplinary Committee should recognize the incident as a thoughtless prank, emphasizing that Tombak didn’t intend to cause offense but his actions have negatively impacted his team. “If I were the coach – and I know Ilian Iliev isn’t known for being lenient – I would manage to smooth things over for Tombak so he’d be reeling. He’ll perceive twice before spitting again. He can turn around, look up, but not in that direction – that’s just unbelievable stupidity,” Vutsov stated on his YouTube channel, Sesame_Liga_Vutsov.
Photo: Official Facebook page of Yantra Gabrovo
