CSKA Sofia sacks Penev

CSKA Sofia sacked Lyuboslav Penev as their coach, the team announced on its website on Wednesday.

“Lyuboslav Penev will no longer coach CSKA Sofia after a joint session of CSKA’s supervisory and management boards jointly decided to accept his resignation and release him and his whole coaching team from their jobs,” the team announced.

Penev, who took over as CSKA coach in March 2009, has had a series of squabbles with management over his players’ poor discipline and performance in recent months.

The 43-year-old – capped over 60 times and an integral member of the Atletico Madrid side that did the domestic double in the 1995/96 season – offered to resign in November, but subsequently decided to stay.

Last month, a court banned him from accompanying the team to London for a Europa League match against Fulham over a defaulted credit.

Penev, who missed out on Bulgaria’s run to the 1994 World Cup semi-finals because he was suffering from testicular cancer, was eventually allowed to put in a last-minute appearance after all, but the incident soured things for him at the club.

The team did not immediately announce a successor but reports in the press suggested that Serbian coach Miodrag Jesic, who coached CSKA Sofia between 2004 to 2006, will return.