Levski Sofia Names New Coach after Shock Resignation

Nikolay Kostov's short stint at the helm of Levski Sofia team started in the autumn, following a 0:1 defeat by CSKA. Kostov (L) is pictured here next to Levski owner Todor Batkov (R). Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgarian major football club Levski Sofia is expected to pick on Tuesday a new boss, a day after head coach Nikolay Kostov surprisingly quit.

Stanimir Stoilov, who guided the team to the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2006, has been tipped as the favourite to replace Kostov, according to media reports.

Other candidates for the post include Kostov's predecessor Georgi Ivanov, who resigned in the autumn following the 1-0 defeat by arch rivals CSKA Sofia, and Dimitar Dimitrov - Hero, former coach of Bulgaria's football national team, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October, but remained at the helm of Burgas-based Chernomorets.

Levski Sofia head coach Nikolay Kostov surprisingly resigned on Monday, saying the team is not living up to his expectations and targets.

"The team's performance is falling short of my expectations and the results achieved do not meet my plans from the time when I took over the post. This is the reason why I decided to quit as Levski head coach," Kostov said in a statement.

The move comes as an apparent attempt to calm down fans' rage following the humiliating defeat by lowly Mineur Pernik on Sunday.

Kostov's stint at the helm of the team started in the autumn, following a 0:1 defeat by CSKA. Under his leadership the team scored a series of wins, but on Sunday suffered a shock 1-0 home loss against mid-table Mineur Pernik.

Levski Sofia currently rank third in the Bulgarian league, trailing behind arch enemy CSKA Sofia and the surprise leader Ludogorets Razgrad.

The club continues to be among the favorites to win the club's first league title since 2009 and unlike others is financially stable.

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