BULGARIA’S most unusual court battle has just been won - by a construction worker who fought to change his name to Manchester United.
A two-year struggle to force the nation’s judges to follow democratic principles has ended in victory for the man who is now officially allowed to call himself Manchester Zdravkov Levichov United.
"I’ve always been a Manchester United fan, and I wanted to change my name since I was a schoolboy, but under communism it was not possible," Mr United, 39, who has a cat called Beckham, told The Scotsman. A transition from red to the Reds, so to speak.
Under communism, changing one’s name was illegal, and Mr United would have been in even more trouble for wanting to change his name to that of a football team on the western side of the Iron Curtain.
The fall of communism in 1990 brought no quick result - legislation allowing name changes came a long way behind reforms to democracy, the secret police and ownership of property.
With the legal system in a mess, Mr United, from the pretty town of Svishtov on the banks of the Danube, put off making the attempt for nearly ten years.
Then in 1999 he watched his team win the Champion’s League Cup, club football’s greatest prize, and decided he had to make the move.
"The moment had come, I could put it off no longer. By doing this I wanted to show my love and gratitude to the team. So I started the action. I started the process."
He hoped his timing would make it easier. Bulgaria was by then an eager signatory to the European Convention for Human Rights, desperate to be taken seriously by the West.
And in 1999 the country was in the process of changing its identity card system. The timing should be perfect, the then Mr Levichov thought.
Not so. Eyebrows were raised by court officials because the law allowed changes of name only for specific purposes - such as the current name exposing you to ridicule or for a "special occasion".
For the legal big-wigs, fanatical support of a football team did not quality as a "special occasion". He was refused permission.
But showing the kind of perseverance Alec Ferguson would be proud of, the future Mr United then took the government to court in November 1999.
In March 2000 came the verdict: he had failed. Friends and neighbours urged him to quit, saying they would be happy to call him Manchester United even if it was not his official name.
He was determined, however. He began another court battle that has now ended in victory. In its final decision, the Svishtov court has declared his name is now Manchester Zdravkov Levichov United, which includes his original middle and last names.
"It took me a lot of nerve," he said about the court procedures. And one more battle remains - to get the middle names removed as well. "I am not satisfied. My name must be Manchester United," he said.
His next task is getting loved-ones used to the idea. His mother, with whom he lives, still calls him Marin, his original first name, which he says he hates.
But the case has drained Mr United’s savings - ironically scuppering his plans to fly to Manchester and watch his beloved team live for the first time.
Earlier this year he wrote to the club, telling them about his court campaign but, possibly because officials did not believe him, all he got back was a letter thanking him for his support.
More misfortune struck this year, when, cycling home from watching the World Cup final, he was hit by a car, lost four teeth and was presented with a medical bill that hoovered up the last of his savings.
But he remains upbeat. "The team will do well this year. Buying Les Ferdinand was the best thing they could do. It will mean they get to first position in Europe," he said. "Let your readers know that British soccer is number one in Bulgaria."
Now he is scrutinising the European Champion’s League fixtures, hoping desperately that United is drawn against a Bulgarian team, to give him a chance finally to watch his heroes.
A two-year struggle to force the nation’s judges to follow democratic principles has ended in victory for the man who is now officially allowed to call himself Manchester Zdravkov Levichov United.
"I’ve always been a Manchester United fan, and I wanted to change my name since I was a schoolboy, but under communism it was not possible," Mr United, 39, who has a cat called Beckham, told The Scotsman. A transition from red to the Reds, so to speak.
Under communism, changing one’s name was illegal, and Mr United would have been in even more trouble for wanting to change his name to that of a football team on the western side of the Iron Curtain.
The fall of communism in 1990 brought no quick result - legislation allowing name changes came a long way behind reforms to democracy, the secret police and ownership of property.
With the legal system in a mess, Mr United, from the pretty town of Svishtov on the banks of the Danube, put off making the attempt for nearly ten years.
Then in 1999 he watched his team win the Champion’s League Cup, club football’s greatest prize, and decided he had to make the move.
"The moment had come, I could put it off no longer. By doing this I wanted to show my love and gratitude to the team. So I started the action. I started the process."
He hoped his timing would make it easier. Bulgaria was by then an eager signatory to the European Convention for Human Rights, desperate to be taken seriously by the West.
And in 1999 the country was in the process of changing its identity card system. The timing should be perfect, the then Mr Levichov thought.
Not so. Eyebrows were raised by court officials because the law allowed changes of name only for specific purposes - such as the current name exposing you to ridicule or for a "special occasion".
For the legal big-wigs, fanatical support of a football team did not quality as a "special occasion". He was refused permission.
But showing the kind of perseverance Alec Ferguson would be proud of, the future Mr United then took the government to court in November 1999.
In March 2000 came the verdict: he had failed. Friends and neighbours urged him to quit, saying they would be happy to call him Manchester United even if it was not his official name.
He was determined, however. He began another court battle that has now ended in victory. In its final decision, the Svishtov court has declared his name is now Manchester Zdravkov Levichov United, which includes his original middle and last names.
"It took me a lot of nerve," he said about the court procedures. And one more battle remains - to get the middle names removed as well. "I am not satisfied. My name must be Manchester United," he said.
His next task is getting loved-ones used to the idea. His mother, with whom he lives, still calls him Marin, his original first name, which he says he hates.
But the case has drained Mr United’s savings - ironically scuppering his plans to fly to Manchester and watch his beloved team live for the first time.
Earlier this year he wrote to the club, telling them about his court campaign but, possibly because officials did not believe him, all he got back was a letter thanking him for his support.
More misfortune struck this year, when, cycling home from watching the World Cup final, he was hit by a car, lost four teeth and was presented with a medical bill that hoovered up the last of his savings.
But he remains upbeat. "The team will do well this year. Buying Les Ferdinand was the best thing they could do. It will mean they get to first position in Europe," he said. "Let your readers know that British soccer is number one in Bulgaria."
Now he is scrutinising the European Champion’s League fixtures, hoping desperately that United is drawn against a Bulgarian team, to give him a chance finally to watch his heroes.
