The main football topic in Georgia is Elite-round of U-17 team at European championship. Vasil Maisuradze’s team is close to final stage, which is to be held in Slovenia on May 4-16. What is necessary for going through the final stage? It is beating Ukraine in the last round of the group.  If Spain plays draw with England, playing with Ukraine also will be enough for going the next round.  

There are 7 teams in Elite-Round and winners go through the final stage, where the eighth team is host country Slovenia. 6 participants from 8 teams are known – matches were held in this group and it is known that these following countries will play in the final stage: Hungary, Iceland, Holland, Poland and Germany. One match is left in other two groups and favorites are these following teams: France and Georgia are leaders in their groups.

As for history there are several interesting facts in it:

At the beginning U-17 European championship was with status of U-16, but in fact the same  age category teams could play at final stage. For example, it was named U-16 but players at the age of 17 also could go through the final stage. No, nothing is different.

In this age category Georgians became European champion, when Soviet Union won European championship in 1985, there were Gela Ketashvili and Soso Chedia among them. Both of them were in the main staff and played a big role in this victory.

Specify: until 1991, players at the age of 19 also could go through the final stage. The main was, before starting selection they should not be elder than 17.

Since Georgia has been independent, Georgian team managed to go through the next stage twice.  First time, Rezo Gagua’s trained team managed it, in 1997 it took the last place in the group in Sweden: Hungary 1:3, Italy 3:5, Belgium 1:5.

It happened the second time, when Koba Zhorzhikashvili’s team went through the final stage in 2002. It happed in Germany: Poland 1:1, Germany 1:1, Hungary 2:1. In quarter final Georgians lost with Switzerland 0:3, which became champion. Sandro Iashvili, Gocha Khojava, Zaal Eliava and others did well at this tournament… Georgians scored four goals and all of them were scored by Iashvili.

 One thing is newsworthy: Both these final stages were 16-team. Of course being in top 8 is very difficult and proud. In a word, Gagua was the first, Zhorzhikashvili the second. Hope that the third will be Maisuradze. It must be mentioned that Vakhtang Kopeliahvili’s team also went through the final stage of European championship but in another age category: it was U-18 European championship – it was called U-18 but is it identified to today’s U-19 championship.

Champions

8 – Spain (1986, 1988, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2009). 

5 – Portugal (1989, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003). 

3 – Germany (1984, 1992, 2009). 

2 – Turkey (1994, 2005). 

1 – Italy (1980), Soviet Union (1985), Czech Republic (1990), Poland (1993), Ireland (1998), Switzerland (2002), France (2004), England (2010), Holland (2011). 

Ilia Nanobashvili