Mikheil Saakashvili: I remain a supporter of Georgian football, but I can no longer continue supporting this national team

“I remain a supporter of Georgian football, but I can no longer continue supporting this national team. We will put an end to injustice and restore the glory of Georgian football,” former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on social media.

In his Facebook post, Saakashvili notes that “not a single footballer speaks out against the injustice in Georgia, and not one of them demonstrates a civic position.”

“Another defeat, with the stands half-empty. The complete collapse of the Georgian national football team is entirely predictable. We have an outstanding generation of footballers, which is a direct result of eliminating corruption in the Football Federation during my presidency. Meanwhile, the disgraceful performances of recent years are attributable, on the one hand, to widespread corruption in football and, on the other, to the politicization of many national team players. Just consider several national team players appearing in Georgian Dream advertisements and acquiring stakes in businesses associated with Georgian Dream.

This is also the result of the fact that not a single footballer speaks out against the injustice in Georgia, and not one demonstrates a civic position. This is precisely why they have lost their identity, their game and the majority of their supporters, myself included. I remain a supporter of Georgian football, but I can no longer continue supporting this national team.

How can I not recall that, when I was in opposition to Shevardnadze, Shota Arveladze openly hosted me in Amsterdam, while legendary Ramaz Shengelia and Vova Gutsaev used to accompany me through the courtyards of Tbilisi to play football with local children as we fought the corrupt regime. These footballers had a civic position and were not afraid to express it openly. We will put an end to injustice and restore the glory of Georgian football!” Mikheil Saakashvili wrote.