Billionaire ex-PM offers £8.4m gift to Georgia squad
Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former prime minister of Georgia, has pledged to give £8.4m to the nation’s football team after they beat Portugal at Euro 2024.
Georgia, managed by former French defender Willy Sagnol, overcame Portugal 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday to qualify for the last-16 stage, where they will face Spain.
Ivanishvili, who founded the ruling Georgian Dream political party and became prime minister of the country in 2012, said the win against Portugal was a “historic and dream victory”.
The 68-year-old said he would donate a further £8.4m (30 million Georgian Lari) to the squad and coaching staff should they also beat Spain.
Ivanishvili was born in Georgia and established his fortune in Russia in the 1990s with investments in banking, computers and metals.
His wealth is estimated by Forbes at around £3.87bn and the Georgian Dream party says the donations will come from Ivanishvili’s charitable foundation.
