How many Times were Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Bulgaria Severed
If we look at history, there are not many cases in which relations between Bulgaria and Russia at the state level were as bad as they are at the moment.
"Divided We Stand", Bulgarian-Romanian co-production
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Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia News Agency)
By Milena Hristova
Life is not always fair, Romanians found out Saturday night after Bulgaria's football team stole their victory with two last-minute shots. Less fair, but not larger than life however turned out to be the media on both sides of the Danube coast the morning after.
"Failed start", "Injustice", "Bad Omen" ran the headlines in the Romanian press, while a Bulgarian daily proudly declared its country to be two goals closer to Europe. A similar superior note was adopted by Bulgaria's national football team coach Hristo Stoitchkov, who said he lived "in Europe for the last fifteen years, while the Romanians are still riding bicycles." There is only one argument that I can think of in his defence and that is the ongoing war of words with and among the media. The well-known magic that the football game holds seems to have skipped the colleagues in the two countries. Instead, even with revenge, they seized the chance to put an unfavourable spin on everything that concerned the neighbour.
Decades of economic and environmental disputes, internal problems and negative images have built a wall of mutual suspicion in the way the two countries perceive each other. I am close to thinking it may take decades to heal the divide now that the European integration process failed to do it. And it is nothing but a sign of poor taste for journalists to deepen the divide by all means available, instead of looking for signs that the old stereotypes are crumbling.
Thank God, football logic has nothing to do with European integration and a repeat of the Saturday night scenario is impossible on January 1, 2007!
Don't know about the headlines the morning after, though...
Life is not always fair, Romanians found out Saturday night after Bulgaria's football team stole their victory with two last-minute shots. Less fair, but not larger than life however turned out to be the media on both sides of the Danube coast the morning after.
"Failed start", "Injustice", "Bad Omen" ran the headlines in the Romanian press, while a Bulgarian daily proudly declared its country to be two goals closer to Europe. A similar superior note was adopted by Bulgaria's national football team coach Hristo Stoitchkov, who said he lived "in Europe for the last fifteen years, while the Romanians are still riding bicycles." There is only one argument that I can think of in his defence and that is the ongoing war of words with and among the media. The well-known magic that the football game holds seems to have skipped the colleagues in the two countries. Instead, even with revenge, they seized the chance to put an unfavourable spin on everything that concerned the neighbour.
Decades of economic and environmental disputes, internal problems and negative images have built a wall of mutual suspicion in the way the two countries perceive each other. I am close to thinking it may take decades to heal the divide now that the European integration process failed to do it. And it is nothing but a sign of poor taste for journalists to deepen the divide by all means available, instead of looking for signs that the old stereotypes are crumbling.
Thank God, football logic has nothing to do with European integration and a repeat of the Saturday night scenario is impossible on January 1, 2007!
Don't know about the headlines the morning after, though...
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