MILAN // The Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze has taken issue with Fifa's decision to move Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Ireland to the German city of Mainz.
"I and many of my teammates continue to ask ourselves why this decision was taken," the AC Milan defender said in an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday.
"There is no civil war in Georgia. We are not dangerous. What would happen if we played in the Tbilisi stadium? Nothing. It would only be a festival for thousands of people that are suffering."
Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war last month, and Moscow's recognition of two separatist Georgia regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as independent nations has brought tensions with the West to their highest level since the end of the Soviet Union.
Kaladze said his mother was frightened by the war.
"Even though I was safe in my house in Milan, I was scared about what was happening in my country," Kaladze said. "But we Georgians have pride. My family did not flee Tbilisi. Nobody fled."
The team is considering wearing black armbands, Kaladze said, adding that the squad has already raised money for families hit by the fighting.
"We'll try to give our people a moment of serenity," he said.
Kaladze also appealed to the AC Milan president, Silvio Berlusconi, who is also Italy's premier.
"I thank the French president [Nicolas] Sarkozy for trying to convince the Russians to take a step back. And I'm also sure my President Berlusconi will not remain insensitive to Georgia's appeal," Kaladze added.
The Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini yesterday urged Russia to quickly fulfil its commitment to fully withdraw its forces from Georgia before an EU delegation led by the French president travels to Moscow on Monday.
Georgia's next game is against the world champions Italy in Udine on Wednesday, and the Italian authorities announced they are planning maximum security for the game, which again upset Kaladze.
"We're seeking messages of solidarity," he said. "Not fear."
Kaladze's brother Levon was abducted in Georgia in 2001. Despite reports that his family paid the kidnappers US$600,000 (Dh2.3m) in ransom, he was never freed.
His headless body was later discovered in an unmarked grave and his remains were identified in 2006 through DNA analysis.
*AP
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
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THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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