A conflict after the end of a match led to disciplinary consequences during the last men's beach volleyball tournament of the season.
At the center of the incident were former national players Valentin and Georgi Bratoevi, as well as Kaloyan Valchinov. The Beach Volleyball Commission decided to disqualify the two brothers, and a report on the case will be sent to the Disciplinary Commission of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.
VolleyWeek.bgalso has a video recording of what happened immediately after the end of the match.

What is seen in the video

The situation unfolds after the end of the match.
The footage shows tension between the participants, after which Georgi Bratoev heads towards Kaloyan Valchinov. People in the immediate vicinity intervene, standing between the two and preventing further escalation.

The recording itself does not allow to establish what remarks were exchanged between the participants or what the intention of each of them was. Therefore,VolleyWeek.bgsought the positions of those directly involved, as well as that of the head referee.

Valchinov: I don't think this should just be overlooked

Kaloyan Valchinov presented his version of what happened toVolleyWeek.bg.
According to him, the tension started even before the end of the match. After his pair won the second set and the match went to a tie-break, Valchinov claims that Georgi Bratoev, who was off the court, started making remarks to him.
After the end of the match, Valchinov went under the net to congratulate the winners.
"I did not set out in any way to create conflicts. I just turned around and left. This is also visible in the video," Valchinov toldVolleyWeek.bg.
According to him, it was after this that the situation escalated.
"I'm not saying this because it happened to me. I'm not the type of person to complain or grumble about the situation. I just want to say it because it's happening again and so many people ignore it and keep silent to avoid problems," he stated.
Valchinov emphasized that he does not expect a preliminary judgment on who is right and who is wrong.
"Let people judge the situation, let them judge who is right and who is wrong. Maybe I made a mistake too," he added.

Nikolay Rusev: The situation was not caused by a game situation

VolleyWeek.bgsought out the head referee Nikolay Rusev, who is a member of the Beach Volleyball Commission and, in his own words, is responsible for referee appointments and the development of referees within the commission.
Rusev made a clear distinction between what happened during the match and the conflict after its conclusion.
According to him, there was no such incident between the players during the match. There was a high-toned discussion with one of the referees, but it was controlled by the referee team and the match ended normally.
"The situation developed after the match and is based on personal relationships between players," Rusev explained toVolleyWeek.bg.
In the subsequent conversation, he was even more specific:
"The situation rather started with Georgi Bratoev, who has some conflict with Kaloyan Valchinov. This was my personal interpretation of the situation," said the head referee.
According to the information Rusev has, the two have been training together in recent months and there was probably previous tension between them.

Valentin and Georgi Bratoev are disqualified

The incident also led to an official reaction from the Beach Volleyball Commission.
Following an explicit clarification fromVolleyWeek.bgNikolay Rusev confirmed that both Valentin Bratoev and Georgi Bratoev are disqualified.
In his initial statement, the head referee cited verbally aggressive behavior towards officials, as well as aggressive behavior after the match towards other participants, as grounds for the decision.
In his conversation withVolleyWeek.bgRusev also made a distinction between the behavior of the two brothers. According to him, Valentin Bratoev's case is mainly about verbal aggression, while Georgi Bratoev's situation is related to the conflict with Kaloyan Valchinov after the end of the match.
Georgi Bratoev had already been eliminated from the tournament, which is why his disqualification has only a disciplinary effect.
The decision regarding Valentin Bratoev has a direct impact on the continuation of the tournament. His partner is Konstantin Mitev, and after the disqualification, the pair remains incomplete and cannot continue their participation.
Rusev emphasized that it was a disciplinary, not a sports-technical sanction, as the match had already ended.

The case also goes to the Disciplinary Committee of the BFV

The case does not end with the disqualifications.
Nikolay Rusev confirmed toVolleyWeek.bgthat a report on what happened will be sent to the Disciplinary Committee of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.
Thus, the incident will also be reviewed by the federation's disciplinary body, which will assess whether further action is necessary.
"We cannot remain indifferent in this situation. We believe this decision is in the interest of the sport, in the interest of all other people, and has a disciplinary effect," commented Rusev.
He emphasized that his attitude towards the sports qualities of the Bratoev brothers does not change his assessment of the specific case.
"I have deep respect for them as athletes, but I do not have respect for what they do – for such actions," Rusev stated, adding that volleyball players of world and Olympic level are expected to control their emotions better.

We sought comment from Konstantin Mitev and Georgi Bratoev

Before the publication of the material,VolleyWeek.bgsought a statement from Konstantin Mitev and Georgi Bratoev. Both were given the opportunity to present their point of view on what happened, but no responses were received by the time the material was completed.
VolleyWeek.bgalso published the video of the situation, so that readers can see for themselves what happened after the end of the match.