Son of Aston Villa legend Stiliyan Petrov standing for Reform in local elections
The son of former Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has announced he will be standing as a Reform UK candidate in next month’s local elections.
Stiliyan Petrov Jr will run for Nigel Farage’s party in Warwickshire, trying to claim a council seat currently held by the Conservatives on the outskirts of Coventry.
His news was shared by Reform’s official account on social media site X – perhaps trying to grab attention with a name instantly recognisable to football fans in both England and Scotland.
Petrov, who is the most-capped player for the Bulgarian national team, won ten trophies and made more than 200 appearances for Scottish side Celtic between 1999 and 2006.
He then moved to Birmingham after signing with Aston Villa and spent several years as captain for the club.
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But his playing career came to a dramatic end after he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2012, prompting an outpouring of support from the football community.
Towards the end of that year he was told he was in remission, but Petrov’s hopes of a career comeback never materialised.
Now his son appears to be following a very different path with a move into right-wing politics.
In the video shared by Reform, which does not mention his famous father, Petrov Jr talks about his time working as an apprentice electrician.
The 22-year-old says: ‘Look around, this Labour government and the previous Conservative government have constantly been lying to us. False promises and making us wait.
‘Well, I’ve had enough. It’s time for me to step up to the challenge and to make a real change that matters.’
He adds that he is ‘not looking to become a career politician’.
Petrov Jr is not the only sports-linked candidate who’ll be standing for Reform at the local elections on May 1.
Former Olympic boxing champion Luke Campbell announced he would be standing for the party to become the mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire.
He will be running against the Lib Dem leader of Hull City Council Mike Ross, East Riding Council leader Anne Handley for the Conservatives, Labour candidate Margaret Pinder, Kerry Harrison for the Green Party and Rowan Halstead for the Yorkshire Party.
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