Team Finland and fans sing long into the night: special recognition to the Suomi army from Bulgaria

Team Finland was eliminated on Monday from the men’s CEV EuroVolley 2023, but their hundreds of fans bid farewell to the championship in party style. At a special event in front of the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna on Monday, the Finnish team players were hailed as heroes. Despite the 3-2 loss to Ukraine, fans and players danced under the tune of Kaarija’s “Cha Cha Cha”, which finished second in this year’s Eurovision song contest, long into the evening.

Finland may not have progressed from Pool B, but their travelling army of supporters captured the hearts of the locals. During the Bulgaria v Finland match last Thursday the 5,000-capacity crowd of Bulgarian and Finnish fans at the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna cheered every excellent spike, every monster block and every dig together.

The Bulgarian Organizing Committee of EuroVolley 2023 specially congratulated the fans of Finland, and the crowd accepted the words of appreciation with a thunderous ovation.

“Your contribution towards making EuroVolley a real volleyball party is immense. Thank you for your beaming positivity. We believe that you already love Bulgaria and Varna, in particular, that you felt our country as a volleyball home. We are sure that you’ll enjoy your future visits here and volleyball will continue to connect us,” said Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev.