TBILISI: Georgia may have lost to neighbouring Turkey in their Euro 2024 opener, but at home the mood remains buoyant as the team's first major tournament offers relief from bitter domestic politics.
"The mood is sky-high," said fan Giorgi Gogishvili, 53, in the capital Tbilisi where Georgians eagerly awaited watching Saturday's second game against the Czech Republic. "The whole city, the whole Georgian nation, are proud of the lads."
In a pulsating first performance at the tournament in Germany, the world's 74th-ranked team were denied an equaliser against Turkey by the width of the post in added time before conceding in the dying seconds to lose 3-1.
But that spirited performance kept the good vibes going after Georgia's qualification in March, beating Greece on penalties to reach their first ever major international tournament, had prompted jubilation in the nation of 3.7 million people.
During the Turkey match, Tbilisi's streets emptied out, with fans flocking either to bars or the main stadium where the game was shown on four large screens.
For many Georgians, the Euros offer a brief interlude and moment of national unity when social frictions are high even by the standards of their long bitter politics.
Earlier this month, a law on "foreign agents" came into force that critics say is draconian and inspired by Russia.
It has sparked some of the largest protests in Georgia since independence from Moscow in 1991, with the security forces staging violent crackdowns in response.
Several national team players have criticised the law, to the annoyance of government figures who say it is necessary to protect sovereignty and stop what they say is a Western plot to drag Tbilisi into confrontation with Russia.
But while Georgia's players are on the pitch, political passions die down.
Georgia's political elite turned out in force for Tuesday's opening match in Gelsenkirchen, with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and figurehead President Salome Zourabichvili both at the stadium despite their opposing politics.
Jailed former President Mikheil Saakashvili weighed in on Facebook with a message of support for the team from the prison where he is serving a six-year sentence for abuse of power.
"Sport always unites the nation," added fan Gogishvili, a maths tutor who sympathises with the protests led by younger Georgians.
Davit Mikeladze, a 32-year-old programmer in Georgia's second city of Batumi, was full of praise for the team but sceptical they would have a lasting impact on local politics.
"Everyone wants the team to win," he said.
"To some extent, yes, it brings us together. To a degree, it distracts everyone, but probably after the championship everything will start up again." - Reuters
