Bulgarian football club Arda Kardzhali found itself in an awkward situation after mistakenly holding a minute’s silence for former player Petko Ganchev—who is very much alive.

“Petko, They’ve Announced You’ve Passed Away!”

The strange mix-up happened during Arda Kardzhali’s match against Levski Sofia. The club and fans paused to pay tribute to Ganchev, believing the 78-year-old had passed away. But Ganchev himself had no idea about his supposed death until he arrived home during the first half and found his wife in tears.

“I was about ten minutes late for the game against Levski because I had some work to do,” Ganchev explained. “As I was driving home, my phone started ringing a lot, but I didn’t dare answer while driving.

“I entered the garden, and my wife greeted me in tears. She said, ‘Petko, Petko, they’ve announced on TV that you’ve passed away!’ I couldn’t understand what she was saying or what had happened.”

Damage Control at Half-Time

Realizing their mistake, Arda Kardzhali quickly acted to correct the error. During half-time, the club sent an urgent email to the TV station broadcasting the match, confirming that Ganchev was still alive.

The club later issued an apology, saying they had received false information about his death. They expressed their deep regret for the mistake and wished Ganchev many more years of good health and happiness.