Georgia replace manager Sagnol with Svanadze after Northern Ireland loss

Sept 26 - Georgia have sacked manager Willy Sagnol in the wake of their Nations League defeat at home to Northern Ireland, and appointed Ramaz Svanadze as the new boss, the Georgian Football Federation said on Saturday.

Svanadze had been manager of Georgia's Under-21 side for the past five years, and has signed a contract until the end of 2028.

Sagnol had been in charge since 2021 and the Frenchman guided Georgia to their first major tournament when they qualified for Euro 2024, where they lost to eventual winners Spain in the last 16, but results since then have failed to live up to those heights.

In the most recent World Cup qualifying campaign, Georgia lost five of their six group games to miss out on the tournament, and Friday's 1-0 loss in Tbilisi was Sagnol's final act as national coach.

"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," a Georgian FA statement said.

Svanadze's first game in charge will be Monday's Group B2 game at home to Ukraine. REUTERS