Georgia: From a team on par with Vietnam to a Euro earthquake

Georgia's earthquake

"Our fans have been waiting for this success for the past 30 years. The history of Georgian football has turned a new page," said the President of the Georgian Football Federation, Levan Kobiashvili, unable to hide his emotions after witnessing his team win a ticket to the Euro for the first time in history.

Georgia created an earthquake when defeating Portugal (Photo: Getty).

Levan Kobiashvili is a legend in Georgian football. He was the first player to reach 100 appearances for the national team before retiring in 2011. In 2015, when he took over the position of President of the Georgian Football Federation, Levan Kobiashvili could hardly have imagined such a glorious day for Georgian football.

The streets of Tbilisi last night were filled with the frenzied emotions of the fans after their team's victory over Portugal. The loud whistles, the cheers, the songs of victory broke the silence in Tbilisi. Never before had these fans been so happy. Their joy was no different from the celebration of the Euro championship.

But perhaps, only those involved can understand that feeling. The victory over Portugal is no different from a championship for the Georgian people. No one knows where the journey of coach Willy Sagnol's team at Euro will lead, but they are happy and enjoy the moment of their lives.

Getting through the group stage was an incredible achievement for Georgia. Every victory now feels like a championship to them. One thing is for sure, Georgia will go into the round of 16 against Spain (or any other opponent) with the same fearlessness as they have in their past matches.

"It's unbelievable. I can't put it into words," admitted President Levan Kobiashvili. Today's Georgian football generation has a new look. They are no longer the underdogs they were when Levan Kobiashvili played. It's a big step forward for Georgia.

Just three years ago, Georgia was ranked 96th in the world , on par with the Vietnamese team (Photo: Getty).

Shake off the mud and stand up, assert your position

Georgian football's peak period is linked to the Soviet Union. The famous Dinamo Tbilisi were challengers in the Soviet championship in the 60s, 70s and 80s in the former era. They made Georgian football famous by winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1980/81 season.

However, since its separation from the Soviet Union, Georgian football has been virtually unknown on the world football map. The country's poverty, backwardness and political instability have prevented football from developing.

Georgian football hit rock bottom when it was pushed down to 150th place in the world in 2015. Not to mention, 3 years ago (2021), they were only ranked 96th, on par with the Vietnamese team.

However, in the blink of an eye, they grew so fast that even insiders could not believe it. Of course, it was not a success that fell from the sky, but came from a comprehensive reform by Chairman Levan Kobiashvili and his associates.

The former Georgian football star has completely abandoned the old, outdated mindset and model to rebuild with a more modern mindset. First is the reform of the facilities.

Since 2016, 70 football stadiums have been renovated and 18 new ones have been built in Georgia. In 2015, Georgia had just 14,676 professional football players. Now that number has almost quadrupled. Similarly, the total number of spectators who came to watch the Georgian football championship in 2015 was just 200,000. By 2022, it will have reached 2.6 million.

Georgian football has undergone a complete overhaul in recent years. It has paid off.

The motto of Georgia is "Strength lies in unity". But expert Gvinianidze wants to evoke the strength in each individual. On the collars of Georgian players, he asked to add the words: "Strength lies in each individual". From there, the players are aware of the resources within each player. Only when each individual is strong, the collective can reach new heights.

In recent years, fans have mostly known Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in Georgia's squad. But at Euro 2024, Georgia has shown that they have many other equally excellent stars such as Georges Mikautadze, Giorgi Kochorashvili or Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The gap between European and world football is narrowing day by day. Georgian football is running very fast in that flow. The victory over Portugal last night is the result of Georgia's constant efforts to improve.

From now on, everyone will have to look at Georgia with different eyes.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/georgia-tu-doi-bong-ngang-tam-tuyen-viet-nam-toi-con-dia-chan-euro-20240627185148201.htm