SOFIA (AFP) - Levski Sofia's newly appointed coach Ivaylo Petev resigned on Wednesday, a day after angry fans stripped him of his team shirt and forced him out of his first press conference.

Petev, 38, was introduced as Levski's new coach on Tuesday to replace Serbian Slavisa Jokanovic, who was sacked for poor results after less than three months in charge.

But the new coach, who had led Ludogorets Razgrad to two successive Bulgarian League titles in the past two seasons, faced a rough welcome by a group of some 20-30 fans.

They stormed his press conference, forcibly removed his team shirt and ushered him out of the room with shouts: "You are not welcome here."

Levski owner Todor Batkov initially stood firmly behind Petev and called the incident a disgrace.

Petev's refusal to take the job, however, prompted him to announce on Thursday that former Levski assistant coach Antony Zdravkov, 49, will lead the club until the winter break.

Levski, one of the country's most popular clubs, have 19 points from 12 games, and are nine points behind Ludogorets Razgrad.