Bulgaria have sacked coach Plamen Markov after a dreadful start to the World Cup qualifying campaign that left his side trailing the Republic of Ireland by four points and group leaders Italy by seven.

The unanimous decision by the Bulgarian Football Union's (BFU) 13-man committee could pave the way for Terry Venables to take over after the Englishman was considered before Markov was reinstated in January for his second stint.

Three draw from three games in Group Eight and a humiliating 6-1 loss against Serbia in a friendly last month, heightened the pressure on the 51-year-old Markov but he refused to resign, forcing the matter into the hands of the BFU.

"It was a tough decision but all 13 (executive committee) members voted for Markov's departure," BFU president Borislav Mihaylov told a news conference.

"It was preceded by a serious discussion as we wanted to understand why the national team doesn't perform well on the pitch."
 
It is hoped his replacement will be confirmed before the BFU's extraordinary congress on January 30th next year.

"It could be a Bulgarian coach but it's not impossible to hire a top-class foreigner," he said.

Five foreigners, including former England manager Venables and Macedonia's Slovenian coach Srecko Katanec, were on the shortlist for the job at the start of the year.

Venables also went head-to-head with Giovanni Trapattoni for the Ireland job, only to lose out to the Italian in an appointment that left the former Barcelona boss bitter about his treatment in the media and by the FAI.

If he is appointed he will have a chance to prove his critics wrong when Bulgaria visit Croke Park for their first meeting with Ireland on March 28th, while the teams are scheduled to meet in the final qualifier in Sofia on June 6th, 2009.