The Bulgarian football club appears to have been caught out in an elaborate scam carried out by a betting syndicate run by the maffia.

Levski Sofia received a fax from the Russian club Rubin Kazan concerning the transfer of the quartet Zhivko Milanov, Youssef Rabeh, Darko Tasevski and Zé Soares for millions of dollars. Together with an official from Levski Sofia, the four players travelled to Russia for a medical examination.

The group was met in a hotel in Moscow by a fictitious member of Rubin Kazan's board who informed them that the medical examination would take place in the hotel. However, when the doctor failed to show up, the delegation from Bulgaria began to smell a rat. On contacting Rubin Kazan directly, the Bulgarian delegation was informed that the Russians had never had any interest in the players. Rubin Kazan's President Alexander Gusev was able to confirm that the original fax the Bulgarians had received had not in fact come from his club.

Due to the journey to the Russian capital, the players were unable to play in the derby against CSKA Sofia, which Sofia won 2-0 on Sunday. Levski made it known in an official statement that the club believes the original fax probably came from a betting syndicate run by the maffia. Bulgarian authorities have begun enquiries into the whole affair.