A Bulgarian football club have apologised for holding a minute's silence for a former player who they later found out is still alive. 

Arda Kardzhali, who play in the country's top division, held a minute's silence in honour of Petko Ganchev, 78, before Sunday's game against Levski Sofia. Before kick-off,  both teams lined up near the centre circle and bowed their heads to mourn Ganchev. 

But before the 1-1 match was over, Arda posted on their Facebook page saying they had received wrong information about Ganchev's death. 

"We wish Petko Ganchev many more years of health and to enjoy the successes of ARDA," the post read.

Ganchev told Bulgarian station bTV that the mix-up resulted in his panicked wife thinking he had died, as well as several calls from concerned friends and relatives.

“I never miss watching Arda’s matches on television,” Ganchev said. “This time I was about ten minutes late for the game against Levski because I had some work to do."

He said during his drive home he was bombarded with phone calls which he did not answer as he was driving.

"I entered the garden and my wife greeted me in tears," he said.

“She said, ‘Petko, Petko, they’ve announced on TV that you’ve passed away!’ I couldn’t understand what she was saying or what had happened.”

Arda Kardzhali attempted to rectify their error during the match and put out a statement confirming that Ganchev was still alive.