Bulgarian referees commission chief resigns

SOFIA (Reuters) - The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) refereeing commission chief Petar Petrov has resigned after bowing to pressure from several clubs who have been seeking a reshuffle following what they believe to be biased officiating during league matches.

On Tuesday Levski Sofia, the 26-times Bulgarian champions, joined calls for the resignation of the commission's members, saying the league title race had been "moved from the football field to the refereeing commission".

"BFU's president Borislav Mihaylov accepted the resignation, which the chairman of the BFU Referee Commission Petar Petrov filed earlier today," the BFU said in a statement on Wednesday.

The domestic championship has been marred by widespread accusations of bias in recent seasons.

The BFU and referees in the Balkan country have been criticised for favouring certain clubs, including Ludogorets, who have won the title for the past six seasons.

Ludogorets currently have 60 points from 24 games, six points clear of CSKA Sofia and 14 ahead of third-placed Levski with both clubs having a game in hand on the leaders.

(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Ken Ferris)