No U-turn for Petrov
17 Oct 2006 - 11:28:23
Aston Villa midfielder Stilian Petrov has no intention of reversing his decision to retire from international football.
The 27-year-old former Celtic star insists he will not play for Bulgaria while Hristo Stoichkov remains head coach.
"It is true, I have retired from the international side for as long as Stoichkov is the manager," confirmed Petrov. "I have a few difficult things to cope with and I have made that decision. I hope that decision will help the team to qualify for the European Championships.
"It is very hard for me because I love playing for my country but I need to make my decision because I think some things aren't going on the right way and I don't want to be a part of it. If there was a change of manager in the future, I will consider coming back.
"All my friends and everyone I know has been on the phone trying to get me to change my mind but that is my decision. Some things to do with the international team are not right. Hopefully they will take notice of that and start to do things the right way.
"The Bulgarian team have players with great ability and character and it will be a shame if we don't qualify for the European Championships. But I have not rushed into this decision. I have been thinking about it for a long time but a few things have happened that I don't agree with."