Soccer-Liverpool and Real set off ticket frenzy in Sofia

By Angel Krasimirov SOFIA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of Ludogorets fans rushed to snap up tickets for their eagerly-awaited Champions League home matches when sales opened on Saturday, despite the cheapest seats costing almost half the country's minimum monthly wage. The Bulgarian champions, playing for the first time in the group stage of Europe's premier club competition, are in Group B alongside holders Real Madrid, five-times winners Liverpool and Swiss side Basel. Ludogorets are only selling ticket packages for all three matches. These cost between 147 levs ($96.43) and 256 levs while the minimum monthly wage in the European Union's poorest country is 340 levs. Ticket prices for domestic matches rarely exceed 10 levs(6.5604 US dollar). The Eagles, based in the small town of Razgrad, will play their home games at the Vasil Levski national stadium in Sofia rather than their 8,000-capacity Ludogorets Arena. The club's chief executive Angel Petrichev said the response of the fans has been incredible and predicted the 43,600-capacity venue would soon be sold out. Not all of the home supporters will be there to watch the Bulgarian outfit, however, with many in the Balkan country worshipping teams like Liverpool. Some fans are resorting to borrowing money in order to have the opportunity to see players such as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. "I have no job at the moment but my friends gave me loans to buy a ticket and see my beloved club Liverpool," 26-year-old Iliya Georgiev said. "I'll be able to see Gerrard and the rest of the team and it's just unbelievable! "I'm not keen to watch Real and I don't like (Cristiano) Ronaldo because he's a former Manchester United player but I had to buy tickets for the three games." The most important event in Bulgaria this year is the early parliamentary elections, which get under way next month, but these days, it is talk of soccer and Ludogorets rather than politics that fills the air. "Ludogorets are real, they made people happy while the politicians continue to play their filthy games and lie to the voters," Georgi Krastev told Reuters after queuing up for hours to buy tickets for the three home matches. "I just don't care about the elections and I'll not vote. My vote goes to Ludogorets, they're the pride of Bulgaria!" Liverpool are hugely popular in Bulgaria, particularly among the fans of CSKA Sofia, the most successful club in the country with 31 league titles. Their coach Stoycho Mladenov was accused of a lack of patriotism after he announced he would be supporting Liverpool rather than the Bulgarian club in Europe. Known as "Liverpool's Executioner" after his two goals helped CSKA to a 2-0 win over the English club in the European Cup in 1982, he has now nailed his colours firmly to their mast. "I respect our fans and I will also support Liverpool," he said. "Next to CSKA my favourite team is Liverpool, so I hope they win their games against Ludogorets." (1 US dollar = 1.5243 Bulgarian lev) (Editing by Toby Davis)