Football: Latest News, Highlights and Updates - President Kobiashvili: Georgia's EURO first performance holds greater significance.
For Association President Lewan Kobiaschwili, Georgia's presence in their very first European Championship is more than a football event. "Let me tell you, I've never seen so many contented individuals in my country. It's been a dream of theirs for over 30 years," Kobiaschwili shared, when Georgia traveled to Velbert during the Euro Cup.
Kobiaschwili, a former Bundesliga player who represented teams such as SC Freiburg, Schalke 04, and Hertha BSC, believes that football is more than just 90 minutes and the scoreline. "In Georgia, it's the same." Willy Sagnol's team's 4-2 win against Greece in the Euro Championship qualifiers reunited people with differing political views in his homeland.
"The evenings and the mornings after the match against Greece are moments I'll never forget," Kobiaschwili reminisced. Celebrations broke out all over the country, and the team president doesn't consider them a lost cause in their group with Portugal, Turkey, and the Czech Republic at the Euro Cup. "We're content, but we want more," he stated. "We've indeed got the quality; otherwise, we wouldn't be present here."
Achieving the goal that players like him could not achieve, Kobiaschwili serves as president alongside his Vice President, the former Freiburg player, Alexander Iaschwili. "We have labored every single day to bring this dream to fruition." Qualifying for a significant tournament for the first time in Georgian history, they have succeeded with a 46-year-old leading their club and 56-year-old Iaschwili working hard as his deputy.
Georgia's participation in the 2024 European Championship schedule and information on their national football team can be found here.
