Bulgaria Names New Men's Volleyball Coach amid Scandal

Sports | June 14, 2012, Thursday // 14:37|  views

Martin Stoev (pictured) is Bulgaria's new volleyball coach. File photo

Martin Stoev has been appointed as the new coach of Bulgaria's male national volleyball team, the country's troubled volleyball federation has announced.

Stoev will head the team in the upcoming Olympic tournament.

Bulgarian Volleyball Federation head Dancho Lazarov and the members of the federation's governing council have refused to resign in the wake of the bitter conflict between Lazarov and Stoev's predecessor, Radostin Stoychev.

Stoychev resigned on Monday, as he had declared that he would not lead the team in the Olympic games if Lazarov does not quit. Key player Matey Kaziyski also declared he would skip the Olympicv tournament of changes do not take place in the federation.

Stoychev was dismissed by the federation on May 13, a day after his team was defeated by Germany in the second semifinal of the 2012 Olympic Games-European Qualification Tournament in Sofia. Lazarov claimed that Stoychev's team "lost deliberately."

The popular and successful coach harshly criticized the federation for its inefficient management, the scandals that have marred all championships, the inflated number of board members, the existence of fictitious clubs.

Internet forums have been overflowing with furious comments at Lazarov as most fans fervently supported Stoychev from the moment the conflict erupted. Fans are urging people to boycott the matches of the team and call for the resignation of Lazarov and other people from the federation.

Martin Stoev was at the helm of Bulgaria's national volleyball team during the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, when the team finished fifth. Stoev also led the team to the bronze medals in the 2006 World Championship.

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Tags: volleyball, coach, martin stoev, Radostin Stoychev, Dancho Lazarov, Federation, scandal, Olympic Games

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