Bahrain Dashes Bulgaria's Stoichkov Coach Hopes

Hristo Stoichkov, who managed rather unsuccessfully Bulgaria between 2004 and 2007, recently said he was wasting his time as Bulgaria coach. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov has failed to secure a job with the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain since Bahrain Football Association (BFA) announced the hiring of Salman Sharida, one of the most famous coaches in the country.

The former Barcelona player has been ruled out as an option after Bahraini coach Salman Sharida turned down an invitation by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to coach the national team.

Sharida steps into the national hot seat after Austrian manager Josef Hickersberger left the kingdom high and dry only a few weeks before a major tournament in Yemen to take up a lucrative contract back with his former UAE club side, Al Wahda.

Bahrain Football Association vice president Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said: "When it comes to work ethics there sometimes appears to be none in football.

"Hickersberger made a decision for his future which may be good for him but it didn't look positively on the Bahrain team. They (Al Wahda) probably gave him a better offer. Anyway, whatever his reasons for leaving, we respect that.

"For us, whoever joined the team had to be in it for the long haul. Our initial idea was to have Hickersberger here for two years and to help him to build a successful team."

The legendary Hristo Stoichkov, who played in the best Bulgarian team of the country's history reaching the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup, was quoted last week as saying that he is very close to becoming the coach of the Bahrain national team.

Stoichkov last worked as a coach at the South African team Mamelodi Sundowns. He is the most internationally renowned Bulgarian footballer, a winner of the World Cup Golden Boot and the Golden Ball, both in 1994.

He played for Barcelona FC in 1990-1995 as part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team'.

Stoichkov, who managed rather unsuccessfully Bulgaria between 2004 and 2007, recently said he was wasting his time as Bulgaria coach.

Called 'Kamata' (the Dagger) in his homeland, Stoichkov's fiery reputation is well known both at home and abroad. His aggression has not been limited to the pitch alone, and his outbursts, particularly aimed against referees and journalists, are in a league of their own, the stuff of folklore.

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