Georgia captain takes issue with Fifa

Kakha Kaladze takes issue with Fifa's decision to move Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Ireland to the German city of Mainz.

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