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Bulgarian FA keeps faith with under-fire Penev

Litex Lovech's head coach Luboslav Penev looks on before the start of his team's Bulgarian Cup quarterfinal soccer match against Levski Sofia in the town of Lovech, some 140km (87miles) north-east of Sofia April 6, 2011. REUTERS/Oleg Popov

SOFIA (Reuters) - National coach Luboslav Penev has received the backing of Bulgaria's soccer authorities despite growing criticism over a poor start to the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. Former Bulgaria striker Penev, one of the country's soccer icons, has been under the spotlight after his side were beaten by Croatia and Norway, leaving them fourth in Group H. "Penev remains coach of the national team," the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU's) president Borislav Mihaylov told reporters after an executive committee meeting. "He gets a second chance, it's not the right time for his replacement." Under-fire Penev was criticised by local media for a lack of consistency in his squad selections. While BFU executive committee member Ventsislav Stefanov added his voice to the debate. "Lubo (Penev) made a lot of mistakes," he said. "I want to thank him for his work and to tell him goodbye." Penev named keeper Nikolay Mihaylov, the son of Borislav Mihaylov, in his starting line-up for the Norway qualifier despite the stopper playing only once at club level this year. He also kept faith in defender Apostol Popov who lost his regular place at his club CSKA Sofia. HARDLINE APPROACH Mihaylov said he remains upbeat about Bulgaria's chances of finishing third in the group and reaching the finals for the first time since 2004. "Our goal is to finish third, at least, given the circumstances and the points we have at the moment," he said. Penev was appointed Bulgaria coach in November 2011, replacing German Lothar Matthaeus, whose contract was not renewed following a dismal Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. The 48-year-old, who led Litex Lovech to the Bulgarian league title in 2011, is known for his hardline approach to discipline and bringing through young players. Former CSKA coach Penev was once described by ex-England coach Terry Venables as "one of the top three forwards in the world", boasting a remarkable scoring record in Spain where he netted more than 150 goals for Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Compostela and Celta Vigo. He is remembered in Spain for his poacher's instinct in the penalty box and for guiding Atletico to a domestic double in 1996 with the Bulgarian scoring 32 goals in 44 games. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; editing by Martyn Herman)