TBILISI/NYON: Levan Kobiashvili i the latest former international player to reach an administrative pinnacle as president of the Georgian football federation.

The 38-year-old, who ended his playing career in May 2014, described his election at the association’s congress in Tbilisi as “a very emotional day.”

He added: “I can compare it only with when I made my competitive debut or when I received my first call-up to the national team.”

Midfielder Kobiashvili won 100 caps for Georgia between 1996 and 2011, and was his country’s footballer of the year on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005. He pledged to take Georgian football forward, saying: “I understand the great responsibility I take.”

After starting his career at Metalurgi Rustavi and Dinamo Tbilisi, Kobiashvili played abroad in Russia and Germany. He spent 16 years in Germany, featuring in 351 matches for Freiburg, Schalke and Hertha Berlin. Kobiashvili has a coaching licence and graduated from a sports management academy in Germany.

UEFA.com

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