Bulgaria's football friendly against Iran cancelled

Sofiaecho - Bulgaria's national football team's friendly against Iran on May 25 2008 has been cancelled, national coach Plamen Markov was quoted as saying by Bulgarian media at the weekend.

Iran was scheduled to host the game, but because Markov met no cooperation from the two leading Bulgarian football clubs CSKA and Levski, the game was not going to happen, he said. Both team were not willing to let their players fly to Iran and Markov saw no use of having the game.

May 25 is not on FIFA's official calendar which gave the two teams the freedom to decide whether they wanted to let their player take part in the friendly.

“I regret this because all our competitors in qualifying group 8 for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will play friendlies on May 25,” Markov told a news conference. Iran has already been notified that Bulgaria would not be able to make it to the match.

The failed game means that the only friendly Bulgarian players will have before the start of the qualifying sessions for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will be against Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 20 in Sofia.

Bulgaria failed to qualify for this year's European championship in Austria and Switzerland. The team is in qualifying group 8 for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, together with defending champions Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro.