Bulgaria coach Hristo Stoichkov has been suspended for four matches after making what FIFA has described as "defamatory remarks" following the World Cup qualifier with Sweden in Stockholm earlier this month.

FIFA announced on Friday that its disciplinary committee had also fined Stoichkov, Bulgaria's most successful player, 20,000 Swiss francs ($15,610).

It said the punishment was handed down after "remarks made by Stoichkov to the media in which he attacked the integrity of the UEFA president and FIFA vice-president Lennart Johansson."

The 39-year-old coach made his remarks to reporters about Swede Johansson, who left the stadium when the score was 2-0.

"According to the committee's report, Stoichkov was quoted by the media as stating that Lennart Johansson had manipulated the above-mentioned match," the FIFA statement added.

The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has already apologised to UEFA and Johansson over Stoichkov's behaviour at the Group Eight qualifier, which his team lost 3-0 ending any hopes they still had of reaching the 2006 finals.

After a goalless first half the game on September 3 changed in the 49th minute when Bulgaria midfielder Blagoy Georgiev was sent off for a bad tackle on Sweden's Fredrik Ljungberg.

Stoichkov was furious over Belgian referee Frank De Bleeckere's decision to send off Georgiev and collected a red card himself for his complaints.

FIFA's sanction means that Stoichkov will not be able to guide his team from the bench in Bulgaria's final qualifier against Malta at the National Stadium next month.