Valeri Bojinov has been left out of the Bulgaria squad to face Wales in their Euro 2012 qualifier.
Parma striker missing for Wales qualifier
Parma striker Valeri Bojinov has been left out of the Bulgaria squad to face Wales in an upcoming Euro 2012 qualifier.
New manager Lothar Matthaus, appointed last week, had named Bojinov in an 18-man squad containing only overseas-based players last week.
However, there is no place in the final squad for the former Manchester City man, who insists he was not dropped.
"From now on I'll decide whether to accept to play for the national team or not to play," Bojinov told
Darik radio.
"It's not Matthaus who decided to drop me from the squad. There are other things involved... but I can't tell the media now."
Bojinov's absence had come as a surprise as he was expected to start following Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov's decision to remain in international retirement despite Matthaus' attempts for him to change his mind.
German Matthaus dropped Alania Vladikavkaz's attacking midfielder Ivan Stoyanov from his initial list.
The former World Cup-winning Germany captain surprisingly added eight home-based players to the squad with three of them debutants.
Uncapped Lokomotiv Sofia keeper Boyan Peykov, Litex Lovech defender Nikolay Bodurov and Cherno More Varna midfielder Daniel Dimov completed the 24-man squad for the Cardiff trip next Friday.
Matthaus, 49, has an uphill task to qualify the Balkan country for the Euro 2012 finals following back-to-back Group G defeats against England and Montenegro in the opening two qualifiers.
Squad
Nikolay Mihaylov (FC Twente), Vladislav Stoyanov (FC Sheriff), Boyan Peykov (Lokomotiv Sofia); Ivan Ivanov (Alania Vladikavkaz), Zhivko Milanov (Vaslui), Valentin Iliev (FC Universitatea Craiova), Veselin Minev (Levski Sofia), Yordan Miliev (Levski Sofia), Pavel Vidanov (CSKA Sofia), Nikolay Bodurov (Litex Lovech), Petar Zanev (Litex Lovech); Chavdar Yankov (Rostov), Daniel Dimov (Cherno More Varna), Georgi Peev (Amkar Perm), Nikolay Dimitrov (Kasimpasa SK), Stanislav Angelov (Steaua Bucharest), Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa), Blagoy Georgiev (Terek Grozny), Martin Petrov (Bolton Wanderers); Dimitar Rangelov (Maccabi Tel-Aviv), Ivelin Popov (Gaziantepspor), Dimitar Makriev (Ashdod), Valeri Domovchiyski (Hertha Berlin), Tsvetan Genkov (Lokomotiv Sofia).
