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Former Mancity striker set to become Georgia’s Far Right president
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Georgian ex-footballer turned far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become Tbilisi’s next figurehead president in an indirect election denounced as “illegitimate” by the current pro-EU leader
Picked by the governing Georgian Dream party as a loyalist, the former forward for the English Premier League’s Manchester City is known for his expletive-laden parliament speeches and tirades against government critics and LGBTQ people.
He is expected to be voted into the role by an electoral college controlled by Georgian Dream, after the party abolished the use of popular votes to elect the president under controversial constitutional changes passed in 2017.
Kavelashvili being catapulted to the role comes at a dramatic moment as thousands of anti-government protesters have flooded Tbilisi for weeks, furious at Georgian Dream for shelving EU accession talks.
Protesters have described Kavelashvili as a “puppet” of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s founder, who in turn has called him “the embodiment of a Georgian man”.
Sporting a moustache and combed back hair, his comments on LGBTQ people have raised alarm, as Georgian Dream has adopted Kremlin-style laws curbing their rights.
The ex-footballer slammed the West for wanting “as many people as possible (to be) neutral and tolerant toward the LGBTQ ideology, which supposedly defends the weak but is, in fact, an act against humanity.”
Football roots
Born in Georgia’s tiny southwestern town of Bolnisi in 1971, Kavelashvili began his career as a professional footballer in the 1980s, playing for clubs in Georgia and Russia and becoming a striker for his country’s national team.
The 53-year-old played for Manchester City between 1995-1997, scoring on debut against bitter crosstown rivals Manchester United.
He then joined Swiss club Grasshoppers, where he spent most of his time on the bench, before stints elsewhere in Switzerland at Zurich, Luzern, Sion, Aarau and Basel.
Kavelashvili was disqualified from running for president of the Georgian Football Federation in 2015 due to a lack of higher education, a requirement for the role.
He has served as an MP for Georgian Dream since 2016 and was elected to the legislature on the party’s list in October 2024 polls — which opposition groups say were rigged and do not recognise.
In 2022, Kavelashvili, alongside other Georgian Dream lawmakers, established a parliamentary faction called People’s Power — an anti-Western group that officially split from the governing party but was widely seen as its satellite.
far-right ideologies.
‘Oligarch’s puppet’
He is known for obscenity-laced statements against opponents and has accused Western leaders of trying to drag Georgia into Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Georgian Dream nominated Kavelashvili for the largely ceremonial post in late November, aiming to strengthen its grip on power.
But the nomination outraged many in Georgia, especially those who have been taking to the streets daily for two weeks to protest Georgian Dream’s drift from its aim of joining the EU.
On the 14th day of mass protests this week, demonstrators did not hold back in expressing their disdain for Kavelashvili.
“I can hardly imagine anyone less suited for the role of head of state,” historian Nika Gobronidze, 53, told AFP.
He said Ivanishvili, the businessman widely believed to be pulling the strings in Georgian politics, chose Kavelashvili as a tool he could control.
“Caligula wanted his horse to be a consul, our oligarch wants his puppet Kavelashvili to be a president,” he said, referring to the Roman emperor.
‘Illegitimate’
The new electoral process makes it a foregone conclusion that Kavelashvili will be the next president, with incumbent Salome Zurabishvili set to lose office.
But Kavelashvili will see his legitimacy undermined from the onset, with constitutional law experts — including an author of Georgia’s constitution, Vakhtang Khmaladze — saying the election will be “illegitimate”.
Tbilisi is currently engulfed in a constitutional crisis, with Zurabishvili demanding a re-run of October’s parliamentary elections.
Parliament had approved its own credentials in violation of a legal requirement to await a court decision on Zurabishvili’s bid to have the election results annulled.
Zurabishvili has declared the new parliament and government “illegitimate” and vowed not to step down at the end of her term on December 29 if Georgian Dream does not organise a fresh vote.
AFP
Saudi title showdown against Al Hilal could finally deliver Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-awaited first league crown
For four painful years, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored goals at a relentless rate, shattered records, and carried Al Nassr FC on his shoulders — yet the one thing that truly mattered continued to slip through his fingers.
The Saudi Pro League title.
Since arriving from Manchester United F.C. in December 2022 amid global fanfare, Ronaldo has watched rivals celebrate while Al Nassr repeatedly fell agonisingly short. Two runner-up finishes. One third-place disappointment. Endless scrutiny.
Now, with just two matches left in the 2025/26 campaign, destiny has finally placed the trophy within touching distance.
Al Nassr sit top of the table on 82 points, five ahead of fierce rivals Al Hilal SFC, and Tuesday night’s explosive Riyadh Derby could decide everything.
One victory.
That is all Ronaldo needs to finally silence the doubters and deliver Al Nassr’s first league crown in seven years.
Title or Tears: Ronaldo Faces Career-Defining Battle
The equation could not be clearer.
Defeat Al Hilal at Al-Awwal Park and the title belongs to Al Nassr.
Three points would move Ronaldo’s side to 85 points, leaving Al Hilal mathematically unable to catch them despite having a game in hand.
Anything less, however, could throw the title race into chaos.
A draw would leave Al Nassr needing one more victory against Damac FC to finish the job.
But defeat? That would reopen the door for Al Hilal and turn Ronaldo’s dream into another nightmare.
Should Al Hilal triumph, the gap would shrink to just two points, and with extra fixtures remaining, the defending giants could snatch the crown away by defeating Neom SC and Al-Fayha FC.
The pressure has never been heavier.
Ronaldo vs Benzema: Old Madrid Kings Meet Again
Tuesday’s showdown carries even more drama.
Ronaldo will once again lock horns with former Real Madrid CF teammate Karim Benzema in a clash loaded with history, tension, and enormous stakes.
Once partners in one of football’s most feared attacking trios, the two icons now stand on opposite sides of Saudi football’s fiercest rivalry.
This latest chapter comes after Benzema’s controversial move to Al Hilal earlier in the season — a transfer that reportedly infuriated Ronaldo and deepened frustrations over Al Nassr’s recruitment strategy under Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Despite the off-field turbulence, Ronaldo responded the only way he knows how: by delivering on the pitch.
At 41, the Portuguese superstar continues to defy time itself, hammering home 26 league goals this season — nine more than Benzema.
Yet none of those goals will matter if Al Nassr fail to finish the job.
A Legacy on the Line
For Al Hilal SFC, this is about preserving dominance and extending their record as Saudi Arabia’s most successful club.
For Al Nassr, it is about resurrection.
And for Ronaldo, it may be about legacy.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did not move to Saudi Arabia simply to score goals or sell shirts. He came to win.
Tuesday night now offers him the opportunity to finally conquer Saudi football and end years of frustration in the most dramatic way possible — by defeating his biggest rivals under the lights in Riyadh.
One game. One trophy. One defining moment.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the hosting of two major Confederation of African Football CAF events later this year.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, President Tinubu approved the hosting of the annual CAF Awards, and the Confederation’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly in the country.
The general assembly is slated for October, and a date for the CAF Awards is yet to be announced.
The 47th Ordinary General Assembly and 2025 CAF Awards were held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rabat, Morocco, respectively.
NFF revealed that hosting of the events was announced by President Tinubu in Nairobi, Kenya, where he is attending the Africa Forward Summit.
The pronouncement came following a meeting with CAF President Patrice Motsepe, with NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau in attendance.
Other Nigerian delegates present at the meeting were Foreign Affairs Minister, Mrs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, CAF Acting General Secretary, Samson Adamu, and Special Adviser to CAF President Amaju Pinnick who is a former NFF President.
Leading figures governing African football will be present at the CAF Ordinary General Assembly, including the heads of CAF’s 54 Member Associations.
Representatives from the six zonal unions and senior football officials from across the continent will also be present at the assembly.
However, the CAF Awards brings together current and legendary football of football figures with both continental and global reputation.
The annual showpiece event celebrates the best performers in African football in an atmosphere of glitz, glamour and sheer panache.
The 47th Ordinary General Assembly and 2025 CAF Awards were held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rabat, Morocco, respectively.
Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Awards in 2017, while the Ordinary General Assembly was last held in Nigeria 22 years ago in 2004.
FC Barcelona may have sealed another memorable LaLiga title with a victory over rivals Real Madrid, but the Spanish champions are already setting their sights on even greater achievements next season.
Barcelona secured the 2025/26 LaLiga crown on Sunday after defeating Madrid 2-0 in a decisive El Clásico clash, marking the first time in the club’s history that they mathematically clinched the league title against their biggest rivals.
The triumph also handed manager Hansi Flick back-to-back league titles since taking charge of the Catalan side in 2024.
Celebrations erupted across the city after the final whistle, with players and supporters marking the club’s 29th Spanish league title in style. Some players joined fans in the streets of Barcelona, while club president Joan Laporta also joined the celebrations.
Barcelona’s success this season was largely driven by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who continued his rapid rise despite facing injury setbacks and intense public scrutiny during parts of the campaign.
The 18-year-old winger finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists, emerging as one of the club’s most influential players. His performances, alongside contributions from stars like Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri, helped Barcelona dominate domestically.
Despite winning LaLiga and the Supercopa de España, the club’s Champions League quarter-final exit to Atlético Madrid has left players determined to improve further next season.
Young defender Pau Cubarsí admitted the team is hungry for more success and is targeting every available trophy in the coming campaign.
Barcelona also received a major boost from goalkeeper Joan García, whose performances after arriving from local rivals Espanyol proved crucial throughout the season.
The club finished the campaign with one of the youngest squads in LaLiga and remains on course for a record-breaking points tally.
Manager Flick is already believed to be planning reinforcements ahead of next season, with reports suggesting Barcelona are targeting new signings in defence and attack as they prepare for another push for domestic and European glory.
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