Imagine Damien Duff became the Republic of Ireland head coach, instead of Heimir Hallgrímsson, but also decided to continue managing Premier Division champions Shelbourne.
This is the high-wire act that Ilian Iliev has attempted to pull off as the gaffer of Bulgaria and of that country’s top-flight side Cherno More since November 2023.
Local reports are suggesting Iliev will step down after the second leg of the Nations League relegation/promotion playoff in Dublin on Sunday.
Cherno are third in Bulgaria’s First League behind Levski Sofia and title-holders Ludogorets.
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Last week the tension around Iliev’s double-jobbing worsened when the head of the Bulgarian FA, Atanas Karaivanov, asked for the 56-year-old’s resignation.
Bulgarian media say the former Benfica midfielder will be gone after just 14 games in charge, so he can refocus all his effort into getting his hometown club into next season’s Uefa Conference League.
Iliev says he is staying put.
Despite the crisis surrounding the Bulgarian squad, manager Iliev and team captain Kiril Despodov were calmness personified when the situation came up on Wednesday afternoon.
“We have no problems. In Bulgaria we are used to having something that complicates our lives. I am used to it. We have no worries,” Iliev said.
“An artificial psychosis is always created for some problems. We are concentrated on the match. I don’t care what was written about me, as in this case, or about the team.
“We are trying to stay away from these things, but it seems we need to talk again.”
Bulgaria take on Ireland at the Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv on Thursday in the first of their crucial Uefa Nations League playoff games. The second leg is in Dublin three days later.
“We are thinking about the future, not just about these two matches. I am sorry that such things are being written, you know where this thing comes from, there is nothing true,” Iliev said.
“It is important that we are concentrated on the match tomorrow. It is an important match, against a good team. We have to enjoy it.
“Let’s not pull the devil by the tail. Let’s do our job, work well in defence as we have people in attack who can create problems for Ireland,” Iliev said.
Despodov agreed, saying: “We try to keep the atmosphere in the team stable and to be together because only this way will we succeed against Ireland.
“We are only focused on the game and not what people are boasting in the media.”
