Oligarch Bidzina Ivanichvili, considered the leader in Georgia’s shadow, will donate more than US$10 million (R$55 million at current prices) to the country’s football team, which qualified for the round of 16 of the European Championship, his official announced. political party this Thursday.
The players from this small Caucasus country defeated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese team 2-0 on Wednesday, a historic victory in their first major international competition.
Next Sunday, the Georgian team, led by French coach Willy Sagnol, will face Spain, three-time European champion and one of the favorites for the title.
Whatever the result, the ruling party in Georgia announced that its honorary president will give the team a reward of US$10.7 million (R$59 million), an amount that will be doubled if they qualify for the quarter-finals.
History Makers
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— Georgia • GFF (@GeorgiaGff) June 27, 2024
Bidzina Ivanichvili, the richest man in this former Soviet republic, has been quietly deciding Georgia’s fate for a decade, despite playing no role in government.
His fortune is estimated at US$4.9 billion (R$27 billion), almost a quarter of the country’s GDP.
The 68-year-old oligarch was prime minister between 2012 and 2013, after founding a political party that has taken on a conservative and anti-Western orientation in recent years.
His critics accuse him of wanting to divert Georgia, a candidate to join the European Union, from its path towards the West to bring the country closer to Russia’s orbit.
The post Georgia’s richest man will donate US$10 million to the country’s team for its Euro campaign appeared first in Gazeta Esportiva.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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