|
New Coach replaces Stoichkov:
Dimitar Penev has been reappointed coach of Bulgaria for a third time on a contract to run until the end of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying.
The 62-year-old replaces Hristo Stoichkov who resigned in April to take charge of RC Celta de Vigo in Spain, leaving PFC Levski Sofia boss Stanimir Stoilov to oversee the home-and-away victories against Belarus in June. Those results left Bulgaria in second place in Group G, two points behind leaders Romania and one clear of the Netherlands having played a game more than the Dutch.
Penev's first spell in charge was for one match on an interim basis in 1989, although his full-time appointment in August 1991 coincided which a golden period which saw Bulgaria reach the semi-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and qualify for EURO '96™. Penev, who will be assisted by goalkeeping coach Lyubomir Sheitanov and former PFC CSKA Sofia defender Krassimir Bezinski, will return to the helm for the friendly against Wales in Burgas on 22 August, with an 8 September trip to the Netherlands to follow.
|
Since their great team of the mid-nineties captained by the ubiquitous Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria have produced and exported great players with making any impact with their club sides on the European scene. Now players like Dimitar Berbatov and Martin Petrov are continuing this legacy and the national side is once again looking to feature in the finals of a major tournament.
