In the modern era, it is not surprising that young fans from different countries have the opportunity to meet the stars of European and world football – whether it is at the airport, close to the stadium, the hotel or somewhere else. But in the 20th century, and especially in the USSR, it was an aspect of fantasy. In the Soviet Union and socialistic block countries, there were many barriers to crossing and meeting with foreign stars, but savvy young people got their way.
Today I want to tell you about a 67-year-old resident of Georgian Black Seaside town Poti Gia Ejibia. Since 1994 to the present day, he has been a media officer of the football club “Kolkheti 1913” Poti (one of the oldest football clubs in Georgia), from 1995 – a TV journalist. Before his modern life, there were many adventures in his life, one of them is associated with 1973: when 16-year-old Gia Ejibia, a tenth-grader from Poti, arrived in Tbilisi with his classmate (a distance between Poti and Tbilisi 350km), for the UEFA Cup match between the local “Dinamo” and the famous English club “Tottenham Hotspur” (“TH”) and after the game he managed to get into one of the elite restaurant on the mountain Mtatsminda (Tbilisi), where “Dinamo” players and English guests were there. There were many other interesting moments and adventures in his life.
– Gia, have you been interested in football even in your childhood?
It happened because of my father Valiko Ejibia (1927-2003). At the end of 1963, when in my 6.5 years old, my father decided to buy a television. At that time, it was a great luxury, and buying a TV was expensive and not easy. But my father was a big fan of football and when it was announced that all the home matches of Tbilisi “Dinamo” (Misha Meskhi, Slava Metreveli, Giorgi Sichinava, Ilya Datunashvili, Sergo Kotrikadze, Murtaz Khurtsilava and other stars played in that team) would be shown on Georgian TV in the 1964 season he decided to buy a TV at all costs. And he did it.
I remember well how neighbours and relatives gathered at our house to watch the match together on the day of the games. At that time, only a few several families in Poti had a TV set. Next year, my father took me to the matches “Kolkheti” Poti, and later also to Kutaisi “Torpedo” at the USSR championship games.
In 1966, I with my neighbors watched the World Cup matches in England at home in Poti. The USSR team, which took fourth place, played well there, “Dinamo” Tbilisi players Murtaz Khurtsilava, Slava Metreveli, Georgy Sichinava and then “Torpedo” Moscow player Anzor Kavazashvili (a native of Batumi, played in different years for “Dinamo” Tb, “Zenith” Leningrad, “Spartak” Moscow and at the end of his career for “Torpedo” Kutaisi) played in the USSR national team at the 1966 World Cup((It should be distinguished that since February 1921 Georgia was occupied by Bolshevik Russia and was part of the Soviet Union between 1922-1990 – author).
Growing up in such an atmosphere my dream was to meet eminent football players and I managed to do it the first time in 1973.
– Then you found yourself at the “Tottenham Hotspur” match in Tbilisi.
– It was November 28, 1973, I was in the tenth, the last grade schoolboy in Poti, when I learned about the upcoming arrival of the titled English team in Tbilisi, I decided to go to the game with my classmate Merab Kokaia (who died in 2002). My father did not object, relatives in Tbilisi promised me tickets for the game, which took place at the “Lokomotiv” Stadium (now the Mikhail Meskhi Stadium) in the presence of more than 40 thousand spectators.
We enjoyed watching the game, which ended in an equal 1-1, the famous football player Kakhi Asatiani scored for “Dinamo”. He participated in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Before or after the game at the stadium, it was beyond belief to cross paths with the players of the visiting team, after the match with a friend, we immediately walked to the “Iveria” Hotel, where the English team lived. The calculation was that in the foyer or at the entrance you could see one of the players and get an autograph from them. But when we approached the hotel, tears welled up in me – I saw the “Ikarus” bus taking the English team away. Seeing the veteran of the team Allan Gilzen on the bus, I showed him that I wanted an autograph, but he apologized with gestures and the bus drove away.
– But how did you get to the banquet of the Dynamo and the British players?
– As soon as the bus took the “TH” players away, I asked the drivers standing there where they had gone. They replied – to a restaurant on mountain Mtatsminda one of the attractive places of Tbilisi. Near “Iveria”, across the road, there was a funicular and I went up to Mtatsminda alone, as my friend referred to fatigue and went to the railway station to return to Poti by train. When I got to Mtatsminda, I saw how “Dinamo” players Piruz Kanteladze and Beso Mchedlishvili entered the restaurant and I followed them. Entering the restaurant, I saw almost the entire squad of “Dinamo” and “TH” in the hall, I was happy, but it was not there – a respectable man came up to me and asked, “Son, where are you in a hurry.”
I explained to him where I was from and where I was going, and he replied: “No, you need permission for such a meeting.” I answered him: Sir, I have a train back soon, please let me pass – I will take autographs and leave immediately.” He looked at me and said, “Okay, just quick.” I approached the feast, watched and admired – at the table were the players Martin Peters (1966 World Champion as part of the England national team), John Pratts, Martins Chivers, Ralph Coates (who scored the goal against “Dinamo”), Ray Evans, took autographs from 6 players and then to the veteran of the team A. Gilzen. I was upset that I could not get an autograph from the famous goalkeeper of TH and the Northern Ireland national team Patrick Jennings who saved his national team in the match against Spain and made a decisive contribution to the victory (1:0) of North Ireland at the 1982 World Cup.
Keeping my promise I left the restaurant, and thanked to the man who permitted me enter to the event, he was a KGB officer. Arrived in Poti, I had to tell friends, acquaintances and strangers for a couple of months how I managed to get into that restaurant and get autographs.
– Did you manage to meet the players of the teams “Liverpool” and “Hamburg” when they came to Tbilisi in 1979?
– It should be remarked that On October 3, 1979, “Dinamo Tbilisi” won the second leg of the 1/16 European Champions Cup at home against “Liverpool” with a score of 3:0, “Liverpool” won the first game in England 2:1, following the results of two games, “Dinamo” advanced to the next round, creating a sensation. Of the “Liverpool” players, only Jimmy Case managed to get an autograph. Then “Dynamo” played with “Hamburg”. The day before the return match of the 1/8 in Tbilisi, I managed to get to the training of “Hamburg” at the “Dinamo” stadium, to get autographs from Manfred Kaltz, Hrubesch, Hartwig, but I did not manage to get close to Kevin Keegan (the best player in Europe in 1978 and 1979).
Then there was a pleasant meeting with the legendary player of “Anderlecht” and the Belgian national team Enzo Shifo, it was in March 1984 in Tbilisi after the match “Spartak” Moscow – “Anderlecht”. The Muscovites lost the first match in Belgium 2:4, in Tbilisi they won 1:0, following the results of two meetings the winner was Anderlecht. After the game, I also took autographs from the famous Anderlecht footvallers Rene van der Eyken, Luka Peruzovic and Kenneth Brullet. –Gia Ejibia traveled to Tbilisi in March 1986 to attend a friendly meeting with USSR-ENGLAND 0-1. On the eve of the match, he met English players at the “Iveria” hotel and got autographs of the three of them; Ray Wilkins, Mark Hateley and Peter Shilton. And after the match he met and interviewed Chris Waddle, the scorer of the only goal.
- How did your life turn out further?
– After school, I served in the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR (1975-1978), and studied for one year at the Shipbuilding Institute in Mykolaiv (Ukraine), but then for family reasons I had to return to Poti, in 1995-2003 I worked as a journalist on TV “Phazis” in Poti, then on the TV channel “Metskre-Talga” (2008-2012), since 1994 I have been a medical officer of “Kolkheti” Poti. As far as possible, I try to attend the matches of the Georgian national team in Tbilisi and Batumi.
Photo 1- Football players of “TH” in Tbilisi, 1973 (archive of G. Ejibia).
Photo 2- 1973, «“Dinamo”Tbilisi- “Tottenham Hotspur”
Photo 3- G.Ejibia, 2015
Photo 4- 5 An autographes of football players “TH” 1973 (archive of G. Ejibia).
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