Resignation of coach Krasimir Balakov

18/10/2019

18/10/2019

Bulgarian coach Krasimir Balakov has resigned due to poor results in his team, whose last match against England was overshadowed by racist excesses.

The Bulgarian Federation (BFU) announced the departure of the 53-year-old coach, who had been in office for less than five months, after an executive committee meeting on Friday. "I keep my fingers crossed for the next coach because the situation is not rosy at all," Balakov told reporters after the meeting.
The former Bulgarian midfielder had taken up his duties as national coach on 1 June with the aim of qualifying the team for Euro 2020, recognizing that the task would be difficult. After five defeats since June and a draw, Bulgaria is last in group A.
The last match against England, lost 6-0 on Monday, was also overshadowed by the racist excesses of a group of Bulgarian fans who aroused indignation. These incidents were "the last straw" that broke the camel's back, the Bulgarian coach said on Friday.
Krasimir Balakov apologized on Tuesday to the England team. The day before the match, he had however estimated in a press conference "that Bulgaria did not have such a big problem (racism, ed)" compared to those met in England …

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