A former Georgia prime minister wants to give his country’s men’s national soccer players a massive financial boost for their Euro 2024 performance. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the nation’s leader from 2012 to 2013, has offered to pay Georgia’s players about $10.6 million. The money will split between the coaches and players of the team.
Ivanishvili’s donation comes as Georgia miraculously beat perennial powerhouse Portugal to qualify for the Euro 2024 knockout round. Georgia, led by star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, topped Portugal 2-0 in the final matchup of Group F. The victory was the biggest upset in the tournament’s history based on FIFA Rankings. FIFA ranks Georgia 74th while Portugal sits in sixth.
The Crusaders had to win on Wednesday to advance to the Euros knockout round. Although they only just finished third in their group, Georgia will move on due to being one of the top four third-placed teams in the competition.
Ivanishvili labeled the triumph against Portugal as a “historic and dream victory.” The 68-year-old politician, however, may continue to give Georgia bonuses. He went on to claim that he would supply the team with another $10.6 million if they were to next beat Spain.
La Roja currently ranks eighth in the world and is having a stellar tournament. Spain was the only team in the competition to win all three of their group-stage matches. They managed to triumph in the trio of games in impressive fashion as well.
After thumping Croatia 3-0, Spain then topped Italy and Albania by a scoreline of 1-0 each. Group B was the most competitive group, but La Roja made it look fairly easy. Georgia and Spain will next face off on Sunday, June 30 in Cologne.
Despite not being Georgia’s prime minister anymore, Ivanishvili has racked up a fortune reportedly worth nearly $5 billion. While he stepped away from the prestigious position, he has since remained in Georgian politics. Ivanishvili founded and is currently an honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream.
The political party was a center-left organization. Nevertheless, the Georgian Dream has since shifted quite a bit to the right. For instance, some Georgia citizens have criticized the party for allegedly having a pro-Russia policy. Georgian Dream officials, however, have since denied these claims.
Interestingly enough, several Georgia soccer players recently expressed concern after the Georgian Dream revealed a “foreign influence” law. Critics claim that the law mirrors Russian legislation. The implementation of the law triggered a massive protest in the nation’s capital of Tbilisi.
Despite the recent issues, everyone in Georgia is seemingly behind the team. Fans flocked to the streets of Tbilisi and other cities around the nation to celebrate the win against Portugal. Euro 2024 is the first major tournament that Georgia has ever competed in. This means that the recent upset was the team’s first-ever victory in a significant competition.
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