Bulgaria sacks national coach Markov

Bulgaria's football union announced Tuesday it was dismissing national football coach Plamen Markov, citing the team's recent poor performance.

“Plamen Markov was dismissed unanimously,” BFU president Borislav Mihailov told journalists.

The Bulgarian side has drawn ire recently from its fans and federation chiefs, after scrambling to three uneventful draws in its first European Group 8 World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro, Italy and Georgia and suffering a 6-1 loss in a friendly against Serbia.

Bulgaria still had a chance to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Mihailov added, however.

The BFU did not immediately announce a successor for the 51-year-old Markov, who took over the Bulgarian side in January.