Bulgaria coach Georgi Dermendzhiev has been given a six-month contract extension which would allow him to guide the Balkan country in the Euro 2020 qualifying playoff semi-final against Hungary, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) said on Tuesday.
The former Ludogorets and Levski Sofia boss was appointed as the head coach in October, replacing Krasimir Balakov.
Balakov resigned a few days after a 6-0 defeat by England when some supporters taunted the visitors with Nazi salutes and monkey chants, prompting match officials to halt the game twice.
The BFU said that the 65-year-old Dermendzhiev has volunteered to take a 30% reduction in his salary, reflecting the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dermendzhiev led Ludogorets to three consecutive Bulgarian league titles between 2015 and 2017. His side became the first Bulgarian team to register a Champions League group stage victory when they beat Switzerland's Basel in 2014.
Bulgaria were scheduled to face Hungary, hoping to end a 16-year wait to reach the finals of a major tournament, on March 26 but the game was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Iceland face Romania in the other Path A playoff semi-final. The winner of Bulgaria-Hungary match will host the final with dates still not confirmed by European soccer governing body UEFA.
(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
