Penev returns as coach of Bulgaria

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Reuters) -- Dimitar Penev has been reappointed coach of Bulgaria for their remaining Euro 2008 qualifiers, the 62-year-old told reporters on Monday ahead of his second stint in charge.

"I'm the new national team's coach but we can talk about the details at tomorrow's (Tuesday's) news conference," he said after leaving the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) executive committee's meeting.

Penev replaces Hristo Stoichkov, who quit in April to take charge of Spain's Celta Vigo. Levski Sofia's Stanimir Stoilov was appointed caretaker for the qualifiers against Belarus last month.

In his first spell in charge, Penev guided the Balkan country to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. and qualified the side for Euro 96 in England.

BFU's president Borislav Mihaylov said recently that the new coach would be chosen after consulting with the players.

Some of the team's key figures, including captain Dimitar Berbatov have already said Penev would be the right man.

Bulgaria lie second in Group G with 15 points from seven matches, two points behind their Balkan rivals Romania. They visit third-placed Netherlands on September 8.

However, Penev's first match in charge will be on August 22 when Bulgaria host Wales in an international friendly in the Black Sea port of Bourgas. E-mail to a friend

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