Kobiashvili stays at the helm of Georgian football

The 45-year-old, who won 100 caps for Georgia and made 351 appearances for German Bundesliga clubs SC Freiburg, FC Schalke 04 and Hertha BSC Berlin, was confirmed in office unanimously at the GFF general assembly.

Kobiashvili, GFF president since October 2015, sets off on a third successive four-year term with Georgia proudly looking forward to co-hosting the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals with Romania from 21 June to 8 July.

"This summer. we will host the Under-21 championship [finals] for the first time in our history," he said. "From a sporting perspective, this will be a big experience for our young players, and it will help them to integrate into the Georgian national team, for whom we have launched a new identity."

"In terms of infrastructure," Kobiashvili added, "stadium construction and renovation for the Under-21 tournament will give us the opportunity to host other international competitions in the future."

Recent progress

Georgian football has made confident strides forward in recent times, with the senior national men's team reaching the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying play-offs. "Many projects are making us much stronger, thanks to the cooperation of our state structures and the UEFA HatTrick programme," Kobiashvili reflected after his re-election. "Work in grassroots and women's football, football in schools and our coach education and referee development activities mean that an increasing number of people are involved in the game."

Kobiashvili described his re-election for a third term as "a major challenge": "My biggest motivation is to be in the service of our large family. I'm ready to answer this challenge, because football, Georgian football, is my life.

"We can become more successful together if we are all motivated and full of purpose," he concluded. "I believe that our dream of seeing our national team taking part in a [major] final tournament will be achieved."