"I didn't expect such [a] sentence," Letchkov, who is the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) vice-president, told reporters. "We'll appeal, of course, because I think it was a political act."
The BFU was not immediately available to comment.
Letchkov, who scored the winning goal in Bulgaria's famous 2-1 quarter-final victory over Germany at the 1994 World Cup, was found guilty of mismanagement which caused significant damage to the Sliven municipality, the court said.
Last year, Letchkov, 44, was removed from the post of Sliven mayor over charges related to abuse of power but was restored two months later.
The three-year sentence was suspended for five years.
‘Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did? It’s insane and made me very proud’: Brazil legend explains how much 2002 goal meant to him
'He already had the ability but didn’t use it because he was afraid to shoot – I said, "You’re a player who has to decide games – you have to take risks, mate"': Liverpool star was forced to become confident by team-mates
