The joy in Georgia is likely to last for a few more days, maybe a few weeks. The Georgian national team has made it through the preliminary round of its first major tournament. After the sensational 2-0 victory against Portugal, it will now face Spain in the round of 16 in Cologne at the European Championships. A victory against the tournament favorites is unlikely, but the Georgian selection is still considered the tournament’s positive surprise. With confident players and friendly fans, curious about the rest of Europe.
But the emotions of football are once again overshadowing the political news. The European Union has just put Georgia’s accession process on hold. The EU heads of government cited a new law in Georgia as the reason for this, which allows for greater control of civil society there. This law was passed in May despite major protests and is in part reminiscent of the legislation in Russia, where organizations with international support are referred to as “foreign agents.”
Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, is considered to be the main sponsor of the law. Ivanishvili made his fortune through banking and raw materials in Russia. The oligarch, who also has Russian citizenship, repeatedly stressed that Georgia must protect itself from “Western influence”. His rapprochement with Moscow found support particularly among the conservative rural population, but that changed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Georgian Dream party responded to public pressure and oriented itself more towards the EU. Now, after almost two and a half years of war in Ukraine, pro-Russian forces appear to be gaining influence again.
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The interesting question now is whether the Georgian footballers can – and want to – use their success in Europe to strengthen the pro-European forces in their homeland. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili apparently wants to influence this process at an early stage. The honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, who does not hold a ministerial post, is promising the Georgian team a team bonus of 30 million lari, almost ten million euros, for a win against Spain. Groups critical of the government spoke of a “bribe” to ensure the loyalty of the players and to keep them silent.
It is indeed striking that the Georgian national players hardly take a political stance before and during the European Championship. This was different in the spring, after the controversial law was introduced. Several players were in favor of a European course on social media in April and May. Giorgi Kochorashvili, for example, published a photo showing his niece at a demonstration in the capital Tbilisi. The photo first went viral, then Kochorashvili deleted it from his profile. His teammate Khvitscha Kwarazkhelia, under contract with SSC Naples, posted: “The future of Georgia lies in Europe.”
Khvitscha Kvarazkhelia is the talisman of the Georgians. He too has positioned himself as pro-European in the past. © Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
At demonstrations against the new law, participants felt inspired by the footballers. “We made it to the Euro, now we want to join the EU,” was one message. Several demonstrators sang football songs and wore the jersey of the Georgian national team. But the police cracked down on the protesters, including using tear gas and water cannons. National player Giorgi Chakvetadze, who plays for Watford FC, commented on Instagram: “It’s hard for me to watch how they oppose my fellow countrymen, especially women and children.”
Georgian clubs also positioned themselves for the European path, especially FC Dinamo Tbilisi, formerly one of the most successful clubs in the Soviet Union. Dinamo fans remembered their club’s most important title, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981. At that time, a Georgian independence movement emerged, but demonstrations against communism were crushed by Soviet soldiers, leaving people dead and injured. Football established itself as a symbol of resistance: in 1990, a national league was formed in Georgia – a year before their country officially gained independence.
The ruling party and football
The Georgian Football Association could also highlight this history in its presence, but its leaders remain diplomatic. Levan Kobiashvili, who also played for Freiburg and Hertha BSC, has been at the helm of the association for almost ten years. In 2008, Kobiashvili refused to play for his then club Schalke 04 in a jersey with the Gazprom sponsor logo. At that time, the Russian military was advancing on Georgian territory to secure influence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two regions that belong to Georgia under international law.
After his active career, Levan Kobiashvili has repeatedly spoken out in favor of a European path, but one does not hear him speak out against Russia. Kobiashvili sits in the national parliament for Georgian Dream. The ruling party has been building a support network in football for years. The most prominent representative: Kacha Kaladze, formerly active at AC Milan and mayor of Tbilisi since 2017. He also supports the controversial law for stricter control of civil society.
Even if Georgia were to win against Spain in the round of 16, the impact on political developments would be minimal. Many Georgian fans who travelled to Germany still want to use this platform. During the preliminary round matches, they sang insulting songs against Vladimir Putin on several occasions. On Russian television, the chants were simply cut out.
The joy in Georgia is likely to last for a few more days, maybe a few weeks. The Georgian national team has made it through the preliminary round of its first major tournament. After the sensational 2-0 victory against Portugal, it will now face Spain in the round of 16 in Cologne at the European Championships. A victory against the tournament favorites is unlikely, but the Georgian selection is still considered the tournament’s positive surprise. With confident players and friendly fans, curious about the rest of Europe.
