Let's hope Tsanko Tsvetanov saw this one coming.
Tsvetanov was fired as head coach of Bulgarian soccer club Etar Veliko Tarnovo on Monday … for the third time this season, Reuters reports.
"A club statement said Tsvetanov was fired due to a 'series of statements against Turkish owner Feyzi Ilhanli and actions that undermine the prestige of the club'," the report says.
Tsvetanov took charge of Etar Veliko Tarnovo for the first time in January. He became a fan favorite by guiding it to promotion and ending a 14-year exile from the first division.
The relationship between Ilhanli and Tsvetanov soon turned sour. Tsvetanov was fired after Etar Veliko Tarnovo lost a game in August. Fans protested, and he was reinstated as head coach.
He was fired for a second time in September after Etar Veliko Tarnovo lost to newly promoted Pirin Gotse Delchev. Once again, fans protested and he was re-hired.
The final straw broke the camel's back for a third time Monday when Tsvetanov was let go. There's no word if the 42-year-old will return if and when the fans protest.
Ilhanli accused Tsvetanov of being involved in match-fixing last month, but the former Bulgaria international midfielder denies the charges. Bulgaria is reportedly rife with match-fixing speculation and one club, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, administered lie-detector tests to players and coaches because it thought they lost a game on purpose.
The Tsvetanov trilogy is just the latest tale from the zany world of Bulgarian soccer.
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Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Светослав Йорданов
