After beating the odds to advance to the Euro 2024 knockout rounds, Georgia’s players and staff are expected to get an incredible £8.4 million bonus from a former prime minister.
Georgia, which was playing in their first European Championship, knew that their chances of making the knockout phase were slim going into the last round of group stage matches.
That comes after they only managed a point from their opening two games, a 1-1 tie with Czechia and a 3-1 loss to Turkiye.
But when they played Portugal on Wednesday, Willy Sagnol’s team defied the odds and shocked everyone by winning 2-0 (goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze). As one of the top third-place teams, they advanced to the next round.
And now that billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili of Georgia has promised to award the squad with £8.4 million for their accomplishments, the players will have even more reason to rejoice.
Moreover, the 68-year-old stated he would give the team another £8.4 million cash prize if they produce another shocking win against Spain on Sunday in Cologne.
Ivanishvili, who founded the Georgian Dream political party and served as prime minister from 2012 to 2013, made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s and is estimated to be worth around £3.87 billion.
A statement read: ‘30million GEL (£8.4m) will be awarded to the national team.
Additionally, at the behest of Bidzina Ivanishvilli, the Georgian national team will be awarded an extra 30 million GEL should they prevail in the eighth-final match and move on to the next phase.
“The honorary chairman of Georgian Dream” expresses gratitude to everyone of the football team’s players, the coaching staff, and the Georgian supporters for this incredible and historic win.”
Georgia entered the tournament as the bottom-seeded team and had only prevailed once in their previous seven meetings with Spain.
The only squad to win all three of their group stage matches and not let up a goal all competition long was Luis de la Fuente’s club.