Penev steps in at CSKA Sofia

Third spell
Penev, who will be 63 on Saturday, previously coached CSKA from 1986-90 and 1998-2000. He had a brief spell back in charge of the Bulgarian national team last year, but was unable to secure qualification for UEFA EURO 2008™, in contrast to 1994 when he led them to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the same stage he coached CSKA to in the 1988/89 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He also led them to three league titles and the same number of Bulgarian Cup triumphs in his first spell in charge, winning the knockout competition again after his return in 1999.

Departing players
However, former CSKA player Penev takes over a team who, since winning their 31st Bulgarian title last season, have been denied a licence to play in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League and lost the core of their squad. Among those already departed are captain Aleksander Tunchev, joining Leicester City FC, Coventry City FC signing Quido Lanzaat, new FC Metalurh Donetsk midfielder Velizar Dimitrov and Romanian international Florentin Petre, now at FC Terek Grozny. Furthermore, midfielders Georgi Iliev and Yordan Yurukov have been sold to PFC Cherno More Varna, while goalkeepers Ivailo Petrov and Ilko Pirkov have joined AEK Larnaca FC of Cyprus and promoted Romanian side CS Otopeni respectively.