Georgia
Away, 2017/18
*Insert ‘Georgia’s always on my mind’ gag here*
OK, now that the Beatles joke is out of the way, we can move on to the shirt. I was really pleased to add this, as Georgia shirts are not the easiest to get. It was especially nice to get a match worn or prepared version. This is one of two shirts that was sourced through a Latvian FA offical, who was most likely gifted them from opponents. It’s hard to narrow it down to a specific game as it does not have patches, so likely a friendly, and Lasha Shergelashvili seems to have worn #16 in all his caps. There are three games in which Shergelashvili played in this design and Georgia also used names on the back of their shirts (he did play in others, but these were without names). The seller believed it was from a friendly played in Latvia in 2017, but Shergelashvili doesn’t appear to have played in this game (though funnily, Latvia wore shirts clearly prepared for the World Cup qualifiers). He did play in their next game against St. Kitts and Nevis though, and had his name on the shirt (see 48 seconds here). So I think it is more likely the kit was already prepared along with others kits for a series of games and then given to the Latvian FA as the player was not in the squad at that time.
The shirt is quite plain, but I do like this Adidas template, with the stripes moved to under the arm a nice change. It is very light, and as a player spec shirt there is some nice comfort touches such as the perforated back. However, the paper-thin crest print, while doing its bit to keep player nipples comfortable, is always a let down for us fans who would like something more substantial. What is the most unusual ‘comfort’ feature of this shirt, is that it was tailored especially for Mr. Shergelashvili. Not by Adidas I would think, no, but someone on the ground in Georgia. The shirt is a 2XL, albeit a modern player fit so slimmer than your average 2XL replica. The problem that seems to have arisen is that Shergelashvili is about 5ft 6in and under 11 stone. So the kit shirt has been shortened - losing the Climacool logo in the process and making the hem a bit rougher - and even narrowed. The narrowing seems to have achieved by removing the middle stripe under the arm and then cutting away some of the red material and sewing the stripe back on top. Actually really impressive, and I hope the pictures below show it. This is why the proportions look a little off in the photos posted. Finally of note, though it is just a quirk of this Adidas template, but the red/black/white colourway actually matches the old, post-independence Georgian flag, right down to the black being above the white on the neck.
Speaking of their independence, the Georgian FA was re-founded in 1990 as the USSR crumbled. Georgia, as a Soviet state, had contributed well to the USSR’s national team. Their ability was proven when accepted into UEFA and FIFA, coming third in their first attempt to qualify for a European Championship in 1996, notably finishing ahead of Wales. They went on to finish fourth in qualifying for World Cup ‘98 with a respectable ten points, level with third-placed Poland, in a group that was dominated by England and Italy. However, there is no denying their early highs have been just that and in the years that followed they have been closer to the bottom of qualifying groups than the top.
As an Irishman, it would be remiss of me to not mention that as I put the finishing touches to this post, Ireland have just played what may have been the worst game of international football ever to be inflicted on the world. The nil-all torture may have been best captured by Irish TV commentator George Hamilton, who said midway through the second half:
"The substitution will take place the next time the ball goes dead, and by the way this game is going you'd imagine the ball is beginning to lose the will to live."
