AROUND 150 people have been refused permission to travel to Blackburn for this week's UEFA Cup game amid fears of asylum-seeking and hooliganism.

The British Embassy in Sofia refused to grant visas to some people claiming to be supporters who wanted to make the trip to East Lancashire for Thursday night's tie between CSKA Sofia and Blackburn Rovers.

CSKA Sofia said the group was made up mainly of suspected asylum seekers and small group of 'fans' who have hooligan connections.

The club's spokesman Vladimir Rupov said today: "There were about 150 people due to travel to Britain on Sunday but the British Embassy has refused them permission to travel.

"Many of them are not football supporters at all.

"They just sign up for the excursions to get visas. Everyone who is going from here is a member of the official supporters' club.

"We don't blame the British authorities at all -- it is their duty after all to stop people who are not travelling for the right reasons.

"Some of the group who will not travel are involved in hooliganism but it is a minority."

Mr Rupov said one group of fans left for the UK and some more will travel with the official club delegation tomorrow.

He said he was expecting about 500 Bulgarian expatriates in London to travel up by coach on Thursday for the game.

A spokesman for Blackburn Rovers said today: "The club has heard of people having visa problems but we are not aware of any hooligan element."

He said they were expecting between 200 and 300 CSKA fans at Ewood Park on Thursday night.

A Bulgarian website exists which belongs to CSKA's hardcore hooligan element The Ultras contains far right images.

But Mr Rupov said any hooliganism was confined mainly to Bulgaria and home derbies and there was rarely trouble on foreign trips.

Insp Judith Finney of Blackburn Police said they had been liaising closely with authorities in Bulgaria to ensure fans arriving in the UK are met at the airport and signs are being put up around Ewood Park in their native language.

She said they had not been involved in any exit or entry issues.

The British Embassy in Sofia was unavailable for comment.