Sport

A former Manchester City player has been sworn in as the new president of Georgia

We don't do much politics but it's hard to ignore this bizarre turn of events.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 2nd January 2025

The country of Georgia is currently wrapped up more than 30 days of civil unrest and in the midst of it all is their new President, who also happens to be a former Manchester City player.

Yes, having been sworn into office on Sunday, 29 December, ex-Man City forward Mikheil Kavelashvili is now the President of the Eastern European nation, though the role is more of a ceremonial head of state.

Kavelashvili, now 53, only spent a fairly short spell at the club between 1996 and 1997, which was also their first year in the old First Division (now known as the Championship) after being relegated from the Premier League.

Kavelashvili is one of just four Georgian players to ever represent City, including Georgi Kinladze, Murtaz Shelia and Kakhaber Tskhadadze.

The former Man City man was appointed the President of Georgia last week.

The striker only made 28 appearances for the Blues in total, netting just three goals, but one of those did come against United in the Manchester derby towards the latter end of the 95/96 season. Fast forward about 30 years and now he’s a political figurehead.

All that being said, his appointment hasn’t exactly been a welcome one and for many, he isn’t even considered a legitimate choice for the job.

Serious protests over problematic politics

Kavelashvili is a former MP as well as a retired professional footballer but, as you can see in the video above, the ex-Man City player isn’t seen as a proper politician by a good chunk of the Georgian population.

For starters, outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili has technically refused to step down and although she has now left the presidential residence, she gave a defiant speech claiming she is still the “only legitimate president”.

As mentioned, the Prime Minister and the ruling party hold most of the real power given that its constitution is that of a parliamentary republic with separation between the two leading roles.

Kavelashvili was selected by said ruling party, Georgian Dream, but the decision has been boycotted by the four main opposition groups and the vast majority of the nation. Not only is he seen as an insufficiently qualified pick but allegations of election fraud and ‘EU-turning’ have sparked outrage.

Oddly enough, he’s not even the first former Man City player to turn his hand to politics, as one-time left-winger and forward George Weah was also elected the President of Liberia back in 2017, before ultimately conceding power as a much less popular figure than he started by November 2023.

With New Year’s morning marking 34 consecutive days of protests, the people claim Georgian Dream rigged the parliamentary elections and are trying to distance themselves from the West.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also announced that Georgia’s application to the European Union would be delayed by another four years, meaning it won’t be until 2028 that negotiations with the continental governing body can even begin, despite being stated as a goal of their revised constitution since 2017.

As per Reuters, Kobakhidze claims that EU membership could damage Georgia’s economy but the overwhelming consensus and concern among the Caucasus is that the far-right associated party are looking to strengthen ties with Russia, who still control about 20% of Georgian territory.

Protests, both peaceful and violent, continue to rage on across Georgia and by whatever strange butterfly effect, a larger forgotten former Man City player who scored just a handful of goals in one has found himself the president at the heart of it all.

Perhaps this particular demonstration in the capital of Tbilisi sums up the general sentiment towards him:

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Featured Images — Channel 4 (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Bryan Mbuemo transfer saga looks to finally be over as Manchester United agree deal with Brentford

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bryan Mbeumo to Man United transfer deal done

In one of the biggest transfer sagas of the 2025 summer transfer window, it looks like Manchester United have got their man, as an agreement with Brentford FC is in place and a move for Bryan Mbuemo looks to be a done deal.

Following weeks and weeks of speculation, minor nudges back and forth in the market, it has now been reported that French-born Mbuemo is heading to Man United, having made it apparent that Old Trafford was his desired destination for some time.

As confirmed by The Athletic‘s David Ornstein on Friday, 18 July, the Cameroonian international is expected to be paid for in chunks over the next few years.

Having initially entered a bid of around £45 million before bonuses last month, the west London club stuck to their guns and appear to have got their overall asking price for the player.

According to Ornstein, a trusted transfer source and ever-reliable journalist, United are expected to pay Brentford an estimated £65m for Mbeumo’s signature.

However, with add-ons of approximately £6m, the attacking midfielder’s total price comes out at more than £70m, making his a fee a sales record for a now established Premier League side who have become known as a ‘feeder/selling club’ with excellent recruitment.

It is also said that MUFC and INEOS have arranged for a payment structure that will see the transfer funded over the course of four-year instalments, with a contract valid until 2030 and the option to extend by a further 12 months.

Well-known for using the so-called ‘Moneyball‘ model to their success in recent years, Mbuemo was signed by the Bees back in 2019, when they were still in the Championship, and he cost just £5.8m from ES Troyes AC – also a club record signing at the time.

Fast forward just a few seasons, not to mention 121 goal contributions in all competitions (28 of those coming last season alone), and he’s been deemed worth about 12 times that amount.

Here are just a few reasons why they’ve been after him.

Still just 25 years old, it’s fair to say he fits the balance of age and experience that the club are looking to recruit, as well as boasting a profile that suits the system Ruben Amorim is looking to deploy with his ever-shifting squad.

At least on paper, anyway.

Meanwhile, outgoing deals are still expected to be completed before the end of the summer window, with key first-team players like homegrown Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, and loanee Antony all still expected to depart.

Happy with the business, Reds?

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Featured Images — Pro:Direct Soccer (screenshot via YouTube)/Pedro Semitiel (via Flickr)

Sport

Stockport school sees under 15s girls football team crowned national champions

Danny Jones Danny Jones Marple Hall School girls under 15s football team win English Schools' FA Cup National Champions

A local Stockport secondary has welcomed home their under-15s girls’ football team as national champions after winning the English Schools’ FA Cup.

Marple Hall School (MHS), located in the south-east part of the old Cheshire borough, is a high-performing educational institution known for its strong investment in youth sport.

Boasting a large sports hall, dedicated 3G footy pitches, MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area), gymnasium, netball and tennis courts, as well as other grass surfaces, many of the town’s nearby clubs make use of the facilities throughout the year.

However, it’s their homegrown talent that is having the spotlight rightfully shone on them this week, as a side of junior female footballers won the prestigious FA tournament for sporting youngsters.

The squad of Year 10 girls – consisting of Marple Hall players aged 14-15 – faced off against Kings Langley last week in the decisive fixture away at Sixways Stadium, home of Worcester City FC and the Worcester Warriors rugby union side.

Following their landmark victory this month, this most recent title has seen them crowned Stockport, Manchester and now National champions, thanks to their 2-1 win in the Development Cup Finals.

Writing in a proud and lengthy post on the school’s website, headteacher Joe Barker described the campaign as “a remarkable run for a remarkable team” and a “thoroughly deserved” trophy, despite coming up against a “really strong team” travelling from the Hertfordshire village.

Barker went on to add: “Team MHS were supported so well by the travelling family and friends, and of course by the 44 students who made their presence known in the stands. Outnumbered but certainly not outvoiced, the chants from team MHS were non-stop and so supportive.

“Not only that, but the whole school got behind the team with the tie live-streamed into every classroom and our halls over lunch.

“My colleagues tell me that they have never felt an atmosphere like it at MHS, the whole school site reverberating to the cheers when the teams came out, when Penny scored her two amazing goals, and at the final whistle.”

He even cited an anecdote of one young pupil telling fellow teacher Miss Gregory: “This is a really mint day for our school, isn’t it, miss? I’m really glad I come here!” He was responding to the moment the aforementioned Stopfordian star, Penny Hallos, scored an audacious backheel to make it a brace.

Unsurprisingly, she earned the player of the match award for her game-winning efforts.

To make things even sweeter, the incredible achievement was also recognised in the House of Commons, with Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart motioning to toast their success among her fellow peers.

Celebrating not just the English championship but their Treble-winning year, Smart declared: “The whole of the town is incredibly proud of these girls for their achievements. 

“My recent hundredth speech in Parliament was on ensuring that girls and young women were given the opportunities to participate in sport, and it is fantastic to be able to celebrate these young women who are doing just that.

“It’s great to be able to help celebrate their national success at Parliament, and I look forward to them achieving wonderful things going forward.”

Better still, nearly £1,500 was raised on top of the fund collected in order to help get the girls to the ground on matchday, and all that money is going directly towards further sports provision for the girls and young women’s sport, specifically.

You can watch the game in full down below, but we’ve highlighted that ingenious second strike from Hallos for you (rewind to around 41:45 to see her equaliser).

Congrats again to the SK, Greater Mancunian and now National champions – we hope we go on to see plenty of your names up in lights soon enough.

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Featured Images — Marple Hall/English Schools’ Football Association/Stockport County (via X)

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