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| Full name | OFC Vihren Sandanski | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Gladiators | ||
| Founded | May 24, 1925; 100 years ago (1925-05-24) | ||
| Ground | Sandanski Stadium, Sandanski | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Chairman | Georgi Manolev | ||
| Manager | Borislav Kyosev | ||
| League | Second League | ||
| 2024–25 | South-West Third League, 1st (promoted) | ||
| Website | ofkvihren | ||
OFC Vihren (Bulgarian:ОФК Вихрен) is aBulgarian football club based inSandanski, currently playing in theSecond League. Sandanski's home ground is the Sandanski Stadium in Sandanski with a capacity of 6,000.[1] Vihren Sandanski's team colours are green and white.
Vihren was founded in 1925, changing its name several times during its early existence. Up until the early 2000s, Vihren played mostly in either the second or third tiers of Bulgarian football. Season 2004-05 is arguably the most important in the club's history, as the team managed to promote to theA PFG, or first tier of Bulgarian football, for the first time. Vihren managed to play four consecutive seasons in the elite, before suffering relegation after the2008-09 season. Since then, the Gladiators have played mostly in the third regional tier.[2]
Currently the team's home kit is green and the away kit is white. Various combinations of green and white have been used through the years, but green remains the basic colour of the team.
The club was founded on 24 May 1925. It has carried the namesUstrem,Gotse Delchev,Yane Sandanski andCherveno zname throughout its history.[3]
In 1977, Vihren first promoted to the B Group, remaining there 13 consecutive seasons before falling back to the V Group. In 1993, Vihren returned to the B Group, but only for one season, after which relegation again followed.
In 2003, Vihren again returned to the second level. In the2004–05 season, Vihren finished first and gained promotion to theA Group for the2005–06 season, marking the team's debut in the top tier. Before their first year of playing in A PFG, Vihren's owner decided to bring players from other countries to bolster the team's chances of surviving in the top flight. His first signing was the ex-FC Porto playerJose Furtado. He was from the Portuguese sideG.D. Tourizense for free. Brazilian player Serginio Dias, and Portuguese players Mauro Alexandre and Nuno Almeida were just a few other players who signed for Vihren after Furtado. The team coach was namedPetar Zhekov. Vihren finished season 2005–06 on 9th place inA PFG with 30 points.
The next season,2006-07, Vihren managed to gain 37 points, finishing in 9th place once again.
In season2007–08, Vihren's owner, Konstantin Dinev decided to bring Portuguese coach Rui Dias. The club signed eight Portuguese and two Brazilian players. But three months later, Rui Dias was discharged for poor results. At the end of the season, the team finished in 10th place.
Season2008–09 started excellent with a 1–0 win against Bulgarian vice-championLevski Sofia.[4] In the 4th round, the club defeatedLokomotov Sofia. In January 2008, Vihren signed notable Greek playersChristos Maladenis andDimitrios Zografakis. In the end of the season, however, the team finished in 14th place and were relegated toB Group, ending a four-year stint in the elite.
The following two seasons were spent in the second tier, but financial problems overwhelmed the club, forcing its folding in 2011 and withdrawal from the B Group. The next season, Vihren was refounded from the fourth level, the A RFG. The team then promoted to the V Group in 2013.
In 2025, Vihren promoted to theSecond League for the first time since 2011.[5]
As of 15 September 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in theBulgarian First Professional League however only three can be used in 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.
EU Nationals | EU Nationals (Dual citizenship) | Non-EU Nationals
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This is a list of the last ten Vihren managers:
| Name | Nat | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kostadin Todorov |  | January 2000 | January 2001 |
| Vasil Metodiev | | January 2001 | June 2002 |
| Yordan Bozdanski | | December 2002 | May 2004 |
| Petar Zhekov | | June 2004 | May 2005 |
| Petar Zhekov | | June 2005 | May 2006 |
| Dionysis Beslikas |  | June 2006 | August 2006 |
| Petar Zhekov | | August 2006 | May 2007 |
| Rui Dias |  | June 2007 | October 2007 |
| Eduard Eranosyan | | October 2007 | November 2007 |
| Filip Filipov | | December 2007 | March 2009 |
As of December 31, 2009.
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