CSKA Sofia have sacked six players after being eliminated from the Europa League, a performance capping an historically disastrous run in Europe by Bulgarian teams this week, media reported Saturday. "Heads must roll!" CSKA coach Stoycho Mladenov said after Slovenia's Mura 05 kicked his team out of the tournament after a 1-1 draw in Sofia on Thursday thanks to the away-goal rule.
Midfielders Petar Stoyanov, Kosta Yanev, Hristo Yanev, Nikolay Dyulgerov, Curacao defender Civard Sprockel and Cape Verde defender Nilson were shown the door, the 7 Dni Sport newspaper and Sportal.bg website reported. The result also meant that for the first time in 15 years, all Bulgarian teams have been knocked out of UEFA's Europa League and Champions League in the opening stages, the reports said.
League champions Ludogorets Razgrad failed to make it to the Champions League third qualifying round after losing 4-3 on aggregate against Dinamo Zagreb. Levski Sofia and Lokomotiv Plovdiv also made undignified exits from the Europa League after their first two matches. Levski's fans were so furious that they besieged their home stadium. The flops sparked tension within the clubs and calls for radical changes in the management of the Bulgarian football union. "Shame! Total fiasco," sports newspaper 7 Dni Sport added.
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