Ivaylo Petev was approved as coach of Bulgaria's men national football team on Wednesday.

Petev's contract is for the duration of three years, starting from 1 January 2015, electronic daily Dnevnik reports.

The executive board of the Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) elected Petev unanimously.

Petev, who is former coach of Bulgarian Ludogorets and Cypriot AEL, had been proposed by the person responsible for the national teams Yordan Letchkov.

There are two goals in front of Petev – winning third place in the qualifications for EURO 2016, and the establishment of new style and appearance of the team.

Currently Bulgaria occupies fourth place in Group H of the European Qualifiers with four points, behind Croatia, Italy and Norway.

The President of BFS Borislav Mikhailov said that until there is theoretical possibility the goal is qualification for EURO 2016.

Mikhailov stated the other tasks as being the creation of new style, the involvement of new faces, and the establishment of new selection process.

Petev himself also expressed optimism that Bulgaria can qualify for EURO 2016.

He said that the selection process will be determined on the basis of the current performance and conditions of football players, ensuring that anyone who deserves can be invited to the national team.