Football requires financing and a lot of it, but in the Bulgarian top flight, the lack of funding is directly proportional to the poor quality of football. The total amount spent last year by top division clubs was 60 million leva, 7 Dni Sport daily reported. Still, with the start of the new football season, more than half of the teams complained that they were already struggling financially.

Until recently, the traditional big spenders in Bulgaria – Levski Sofia and CSKA Sofia – who happen to be the country’s most prominent clubs, were rather generous with their wages and player bonuses.

On average, both teams splashed out more than five million leva each year, but times are changing. Levski’s Dimitar Telkiiski has recently agreed on a deal that tied him to the club for 4000 leva a month, an indicator that even Bulgaria’s "big two" have started tightening their belts. Somewhat surprisingly, Chernomorets Bourgas has emerged as the big spender this season, with a monthly wage bill of 800 000 leva.

Other clubs that maintained good wage standards, according to the report, were Slavia Sofia, Lokomotov Sofia, Litex Lovech and Cherno More Varna. Meanwhile, three clubs – Sliven, Pernik and Montana – were reportedly still wiring the pay-cheques to their players on time, although there were no players on lucrative contracts and their average player wage was about 2000 leva a month.

Teams in the lower reaches of the country’s top division are faring considerably worse. Beroe Stara Zagora have not paid their players "in a long time" after the team parted ways with its main sponsor Brikel. Stara Zagora is one of Bulgaria’s more prosperous cities with a strong industry, but no local companies have stepped unto the breach to support the local club.

Lokomotiv Mezdra are also struggling despite receiving 200 000 in transfer fees for two Portuguese players, Rui Miguel and David Silva, from CSKA Sofia. Pirin Blagoevgrad, on the other hand, solved the problem by re-negotiating all player contracts and are now paying average wages of 1200 leva a month, with 300 leva bonus for a home win and a 600 leva for an away win – a cunning and so far effective strategy.

Meanwhile, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have paid player salaries with an average delay of one month. Owner Galya Topalova is reported to be desperate to offload the club, but buyers will likely be put off by the investigation into whether the club has dodged about one million leva in taxes.

Lokomotiv’s fans can take solace in the fact that arch-rivals Botev are struggling even worse. Following the departure of owner Dimitar Hristolov after years of fan protests against him, the club was taken over by a group of Italian investors, who have reportedly paid the grand total of 100 leva to each player, accusing Hristolov of emptying the club accounts.

The club’s reserve side, according to 7 Dni Sport, has been forced to pitch in to pay for the petrol for the team bus during trips for away matches.