Bulgaria to Fire Matthaeus within Days - Report

Matthaeus has failed to impress ever since he was appointment and his departure is almost certain. Photo by BGNES

Legendary former German football player Lothar Matthaeus is to be fired as coach of Bulgaria's national squad by the end of the week, reports say.

Officials from the Bulgarian Football Union have already gather to decide the German coach's fate, Sportni.bg has reported. Matthaeus has failed to impress ever since he was appointment and his departure is almost certain

He has repeatedly criticized Bulgarian players, saying that many of them fail to live up to his standards and expectations, and that they have an unrealistically high self-confidence.

Mihail Madanski, who is in charge of Bulgaria's Under-21 internationals, will most probably take over the team for the two games left to play by the end of 2011. Afterwards, a new coach will be appointed, with Lyuboslav Penev, the nephew of the country's most successful manager in history, Dimitar Penev, tipped as a strong favorite. Lyuboslav Penev is currently managing Bulgarian champions Litex Lovech.

On Friday, it was reported that the other contender for the job is former Bulgarian midfielder Krasimir Balakov.

Balakov, a former player of Portugal's Sporting and Germany's VfB Stuttgart, and a bronze medal winner with the Bulgarian national football team in the 1994 World Cup in the USA, is currently coaching Croatia's top team Hajduk.

Bulgaria lost even theoretical chances to qualify to Euro 2012 after recently getting defeated by Switzerland and England.

Bulgaria remains fourth out of 5 in qualifying group G with a mere 5 points, having lost any hopes to make it even to the second place already a while ago.

Switzerland next plays away to Wales on Oct. 7, and Bulgaria welcomes the Welsh four days later in a game Matthaeus probably will not attend.

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