A Bulgaria soccer club, Arda Kardzhali, is currently facing scrutiny for mistakenly having a 'moment of silence' to honor a former player of the team, Petko Ganchev, who actually is not dead yet.
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Prior to Sunday's 1-1 match between Arda Kardzhali and Levski Sofia, players from both teams gathered at midfield to pay tribute to Ganchev.
That is, reportedly when all this was going on, 78-year-old Ganchev was out running errands, wondering why he had been receiving multiple phone calls while driving.
After getting home late for the game, Ganchev found his wife crying.
"I was 10 minutes late because I had a personal job," Ganchev told Blitz, a Bulgarian news site. "While driving home, my phone started ringing a lot. I parked in front of our house, entered the yard and my wife greets me crying, shouting: 'Petko, Petko, they announced on TV that you have died!'"
Upon hearing the announcement, Ganchev recalled it being "shocking and absurd."
"I could not understand what she was telling me and what had happened. Then two of my friends called me," he said. "Being buried alive is quite stressful, really."
And in view of how he responded to his own fake tragedy, he recalled, "when I heard the terrible news, I poured myself a small brandy."
Ultimately, Ganchev then still had to alert everyone in his life that he actually was alive and well.
Following the serious mix-up, Arda Kardzhali announced on Facebook, that they had received wrong information about Ganchev's death.
The club issued an apology and wished Ganchev "many more years of good health."
"The management of PFC Arda would like to express a huge apology to the former Arda player Petko Ganchev and his relatives after the club received wrong information about his death," the club said in a statement. "We wish Petko Ganchev many more years of good health and to enjoy the success of Arda."
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