The Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) relegated on Wednesday leading football club Litex Lovech from the country's top football division - the A Group.

The decision of the disciplinary committee comes after the major scandal, which occurred during the derby between Levski Sofia and Litex during the weekend.

At the end of the first half of the match, with the score being 0:1 for the visitors from Lovech, the players of Litex abandoned the game and left the pitch.

The decision to abandon the game was taken by the management of the club, which was discontent with the referee.

The sports director rushed on the pitch and ordered his players to abandon the game immediately after the referee sent off a second player from Litex and awarded a penalty kick for Levski.

The disciplinary committee also fined the club with BGN 20 000 and its executive director Trifon Popov with BGN 15 000 as he took the blame for abandoning the game.

In this way the players of Litex will not be penalised.

The decision of the disciplinary committee can be appealed within a seven-day period.

Litex has been one of the leading Bulgarian football clubs in the last twenty years, with the team having won four championship titles (1997-1998, 1998-1999, 2009-2010, 2010-2011) and four Bulgarian Cups (2001, 2004, 2008, 2009).

Prior to the scandal, Litex occupied fourth place in the current ranking with 33 points and was one of the favourites for winning the title this year.

Earlier this year, BFS revoked the licences of two other leading football clubs - CSKA Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia due to their outstanding debts.