Stoichkov to lose consul role over Catalan backing

SOFIA: Bulgaria will seek to revoke the honorary consul status of former Barcelona football star Hristo Stoichkov over his backing of Catalan independence, the foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.
"We have started a procedure for releasing Hristo Stoichkov as honorary (non-paid) consul of Bulgaria in Spain, based in Barcelona," it said in a statement.
"The efficient execution of his duties as honorary consul will be hindered in the future as his latest public statements make his communication with the official Spanish authorities difficult," the ministry explained.
Renowned for his sharp tongue, Stoichkov last week backed Catalonia's banned independence referendum, which took place on Oct 1.
The 51-year-old, who is mostly based in the United States, also accused the Spanish government of being responsible for the violence that erupted during the poll.
"I don't care about Spain, I care about the people of Catalonia," he told recently Bulgarian state media.
The rampaging left-sided striker joined Johan Cruyff's Barca in 1990 and scored a total of 162 goals in 336 games for them, many alongside the great Brazilian striker Romario.
He won the Spanish league title five times and the European Cup in 1992 before winning the Ballon d'Or as the best player in Europe in 1994.
He has always demonstrated his deep attachment to Catalonia ever since.
Stoichkov, who was appointed to the role in 2011, is mainly based in the United States, according to the foreign ministry.
The decision to remove him from the post is still subject to government approval.
The Catalonian vote has sparked a major crisis in Spain, with Madrid not ruling out suspending the region's autonomy if separatists declare independence.
Key European Union powers Germany and France have backed Spanish unity. — AFP