Tsch?ss Lothar, Bye-Bye Bulgaria!

At last! The stalled ambitions and pent-up frustrations in Bulgaria's football team have an outlet. Lothar Matthaeus was fired on Monday as Bulgaria's coach - good news both for the team and the coach.

But is it good news for the future of the game in this country?

After dealing with power struggles, simmering mass of (bottled-up and not that bottled-up) resentments, frustrated ambitions, and a lot of other unhealthy workplace issues and getting only five points from seven European Championship qualifying matches, the players and the German can finally sigh with relief. The first got rid of the domineering boss they hated, the second got rid of a totally hopeless case, riddled with corruption and plagued by I-don't-give-a-damn-attitude.

The truth is Lothar Matthaeus broke three golden rules in Bulgaria's football world:

1. Never say no to the top shots (especially the mayor of Sliven i.e. Lechkov)

2. Don't keep the players on a tight leash – they don't like putting in too much effort. They prefer hanging out at chalga bars, while raking in the dough.

3. Don't wash the dirty linen of Bulgaria's football union in public.

True, his coaching career has never come close to emulating his glory days on the pitch. But Bulgaria's football has been turned into a brothel, inhabited by unmotivated, corrupt and of dubious qualities players and officials, which nobody can turn into a castle. (Small wonder Matthaeus blew his top and told the players (publicly) exactly where to shove the list with their demands.)

In theory, Bulgaria needs a (preferably foreign) coach, who lives in Bulgaria, takes the trouble to watch local and international football matches, is able to consider and forecast the broad-reaching ramifications of his decisions and does not spend as much time hanging out at bars and beaches as his players.

But will he be able to work the miracles needed to bring back the glory days of the team in practice?

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