FC Chernomorets 1919 (Bulgarian: ФК Черноморец 1919) is a Bulgarianfootball club from the city of Burgas, which currently competes in Bulgaria's 2nd football league, the Second League. Chernomorets plays its home matches at the local Stadion Lazur temporary, until they complete the construction of their planned 5,000 seats Ivan Pritargov Stadium.
The club was founded in 2015, following the financial struggles of the former Burgas-based team, PSFC Chernomorets Burgas. Although the new club in considered a separate entity from the previous team, fans and the Bulgarian Football Union consider it to be a legitimate successor to the original Chernomorets Burgas.
History
Following the relegate to V group of PSFC Chernomorets Burgas and the discoveries that Mitko Sabev drained the club,[1] association "Future for Chernomorets Burgas" wanted a new team to represent the original team FC Chernomorets Burgas who was dissolved in 2006.[2] On 4 August 2015 they officially founded Chernomorets 1919.[3]Zlatko Yankov, who played on 2 world cups with Bulgaria and Stoyko Sakaliev returned to football and were the first players to join the team.
In 2018, the team entered the Third Amateur Football League for the first time.[4] In their first season in the third tier, Chernomorets finished 4th. Chernomorets ended the 2022–23 season in 2nd place but showed a desire to join the Second League, since the group winner, Nesebar, struggled financially.[5] On 19 June 2023 Nesebar announced they will stay in Third League and Bulgarian Football Union announced that Chernomorets will be promoted to Second League, instead.[6]
In November 2023, Chernomorets announced their reconstruction of Cherveno Zname Stadium in Dolno Ezerovo neighborhood, with the plan to make the stadium with 5,000 seats, build additional 2 training fields, and rename it after their striker Ivan Pritargov.[7]
Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.
