BOLTON Wanderers’ first European adventure took a deeply sinister turn when the owner of their Uefa Cup opponents, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, was shot dead in a mafia contract killing. Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman, confirmed that they would be taking extra security precautions after the slaying of Georgi Iliev, who has been described by the Bulgarian media as “an underworld boss”.

Sam Allardyce’s side were drawn against Plovdiv yesterday in their first European game, but the news inevitably was overshadowed by the murder. Iliev, 39, was killed in the Black Sea holiday resort of Slanchev Briag, near Bourgas, just before midnight on Thursday by a sniper’s bullet to his heart.

Less than an hour earlier, his club had booked their first place in the proper stages of a European tournament by beating OFK Beograd, of Serbia, 1-0. Iliev was talking on his mobile phone in a bar when the hitman struck and he died on the way to hospital. Plovdiv players were to have joined him in the restaurant to celebrate their victory.

Understandably, Gartside reacted with concern. “It sounds unbelievable that something like that could happen and we appreciate it must be difficult for the club at this point,” he said. “I’m glad the matter is not football-related but it is sad to hear of something like that anyway. Obviously, there will be security issues.”

Iliev served time in prison for a variety of offences and was said to have been a significant figure in Bulgaria’s underworld. In 1995, his brother, Vassil, was also killed.

Despite the killing, Bolton expect to take several thousand fans to the away leg on September 29. “A few years ago we played a real non-event of a game in Italy and took a lot of people to that game,” Gartside added. “With this being our first proper visit, we’re expecting quite a few people to go. When we looked at the teams we could have drawn, Plovdiv was bottom of the list but they probably don’t know where Bolton is either.”

Everton will also be heading to eastern Europe. Their consolation for failing to qualify for the Champions League is an encounter with Dinamo Bucharest, who stretched Manchester United in a Champions League qualifying tie a year ago.

“They are probably the toughest of the sides we could have drawn but you have to take what you are given,” Keith Wyness, the chief executive, said. “You really need to get into the quarter-finals or beyond for the Uefa Cup to be reasonably lucrative and we intend to be there.”

Winning their first-round matches will send teams through to the group stages of the competition and five guaranteed fixtures.

Middlesbrough must first overcome Xanthi, the Greek club. “It looks like a tough draw, especially as we’re away in the second leg,” Steve McClaren, the manager, said. “I don’t know a great deal about Xanthi, though they are obviously a good team as they finished above Egaleo, who gave us such a tough game in Greece last season.”

Emerson, the former Middlesbrough midfield player, is one of four Brazilians at Xanthi. McClaren is hoping that his team can improve on last season’s feat of reaching the last 16. “We’ve had a year’s experience in Europe and we loved it, and we look forward to it again,” he said. “It creates an extra buzz. On a day like this when most other teams are just training, we’ve something to look forward to.

“I’m sure the talking point of the game when it comes up will be the return of Emerson.

He was a good signing for Boro. He is very dangerous on his day.”

Hibernian, Scotland’s lone representatives in the competition, face Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, from Ukraine, while Cork City face powerful opponents in Slavia Prague, of the Czech Republic. The first legs take place on September 15.

FIRST-ROUND DRAW

Teams at home for first leg listed first

Auxerre v Levski Sofia
SV Hamburg v FC Copenhagen
Slavia Prague v Cork City
Metalurh Donetsk (Ukr) v PAOK Thessaloniki (Gr)
Dynamo Bucharest v EVERTON
MyPa (Fin) v Grasshoppers Zurich
Red Star Belgrade v FC Braga (Por)
Royal Antwerp v Marseilles
Bayer Leverkusen v CSKA Sofia
CSKA Moscow v FC Midtjylland (Den)
Vitoria Setubal (Por) v Sampdoria
FC Basle v Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia-Herz)
Feyenoord v Rapid Bucharest
HIBERNIAN v Dnipro (Ukr)
Rennes v Osasuna
Guimaraes (Por) v Wisla Krakow
Krylya Sovetov (Russ) v AZ Alkmaar (Neth)
VfB Stuttgart v Domzale (Slovenia)
Valerenga v Steaua Bucharest
AK Graz v Strasbourg
Lokomotiv Moscow v SK Brann (Nor)
Palermo v Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyp)
Halmstads BK (Swe) v Sporting Lisbon
MIDDLESBROUGH v Xanthi (Gr)
Maccabi Petach-Tikva (Isr) v Partizan Belgrade
Aris Thessaloniki (Gr) v AS Roma
Besiktas v Malmö
Litex Lovech (Bul) v Genk
Banik Ostrava (Cz) v Heerenveen
Hertha Berlin v Apoel (Cyp)
Teplice (Cz) v Espanyol
AS Monaco v Willem II
Viking FK v Austria Vienna
Brondby v FC Zurich
Lens v Groclin Grodzisk (Pol)
Tromso v Galatasaray
BOLTON WANDERERS v Lokomotiv Plovdiv (Bul)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) v Debrecen (Hun)
Zenit St Petersburg (Russ) v AEK Athens

First-leg matches to be played Sept 15; second legs Sept 29