Bulgaria name Hubchev as coach to replace Petev

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria have appointed Petar Hubchev as their new coach to replace Ivaylo Petev, who is set to take over at Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old former defender, a key member of the Bulgaria team that reached the 1994 World Cup semi-finals, signed a contract until the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Hubchev, who was Bulgaria’s assistant coach between 2003 and 2005, will have to deal with a hugely demanding and impatient fan base.

He is Bulgaria’s 10th national coach since Plamen Markov’s sacking after Euro 2004 – the last time the team appeared at the finals of a major tournament.

Hubchev, who played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Hamburg SV in Germany and coached several Bulgarian top-flight clubs, will take charge of the national team for the first time on Oct. 7 when Bulgaria visit France in a 2018 World Cup Group A qualifier.

(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov,; Editing by Neville Dalton)