Georgi Dermendzhiev

Yasen Petrov is the new coach of the Bulgarian national football team. This was announced by the press release of the Bulgarian Football Union after the end of the meeting of the Executive Committee.

The other two candidates were Georgi Donkov and Georgi Dermendzhiev, who led the team until December.

Bulgarian football champion Ludogorets started their Champions League journey with a defeat. "The eagles" conceded a full comeback and lost their visit to Lithuanian side Zalgiris with 1:2. The hero for the hosts was ex-player of Bulgarian club CSKA Serge Nyuiadzi. This was the first match between the two teams in the second qualification round.

Ludogorets Razgrad is to play another Champions League group stage game against Arsenal on the Emirates stadium in London.

The game is scheduled for 21:45 Bulgarian time (19:45 BST).

While Ludogorets is not expected to win, its coach Georgi Dermendzhiev says the Bulgarian team does not consider itself "doomed" well before the game has taken place.

The player of Spartak Moscow Ivelin Popov was awarded the best Bulgarian footballer of the year prize on Saturday.

Popov garnered 241 points, leaving behind him Palermo midfielder Ivaylo Chochev and CSKA Moscow midfielder Georgi Milanov.

Bulgarian Sports Minister Krasen Kralev handed the award to the captain of the Bulgarian men's national football team.

Georgi Dermendzhiev, the coach of Bulgaria's reigning football champion Ludogorets Razgrad, announced his withdrawal from the club on Sunday.

Dermendzhiev made the announcement seconds after the final whistle of his team's last game for the season, sportal.bg reports.

The owner of Bulgarian reigning football champion Ludogorets Kiril Domuschiev expressed confidence that his team will win the domestic championship for the fourth time in a row.

According to Domuschiev, the competition with the team of CSKA, who are leaders at half-season, will be fierce, but the team from Razgrad will triumph at the end.