Georgia sack Willy Sagnol after Northern Ireland defeat, appoint Ramaz Svanadze

Georgia have sacked manager Willy Sagnol in the wake of Friday’s 1-0 home Nations League defeat to Northern Ireland in Tbilisi, the Georgian Football Federation announced on Saturday.

Ramaz Svanadze has been appointed as the new head coach. Svanadze, who has managed Georgia’s under-21 side for the past five years, has signed a contract until the end of 2028.

Sagnol had been in charge since 2021 and guided Georgia to their first major tournament when they qualified for Euro 2024, where they lost to eventual winners Spain in the last 16. Results since have failed to match those heights: Georgia lost five of their six games in their most recent World Cup qualifying campaign and missed out on the tournament.

“Thank you, Willy Sagnol, for every minute spent in the Georgian national team and for the emotions we went through together on this historic path,” the Georgian FA said in a statement.

Svanadze’s first match in charge will be Monday’s Nations League Group B2 game at home to Ukraine.