On June 20, Facebook pages and accounts actively disseminated the following quote from the goalkeeper of the Georgian national football team, Giorgi Mamardashvili: “I’m not sad because we lost, I’m sad because people spent their entire salaries to watch football, and we embarrassed them.” (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8).
The viral quote is fabricated. No such statement was published on Giorgi Mamardashvili’s official pages on social media, nor can it be found in other open sources. The information that the quote is fake was also confirmed by the press office of the Georgian national football team.
A comment by Giorgi Mamardashvili was published on his official Facebook and Instagram pages after the match held between Georgia and Turkey on June 18 at the European Football Championship. The goalkeeper’s statement is positive, noting that he is proud of the team and the people and thanked the fans for their support.
Mamardashvili: The debut game at @euro2024 that we will all remember. I am proud of my team and my people! A game where everyone saw that we will never give up! Thanks for your support.
In his statement, Mamardashvili does not write anywhere that he is ashamed of the defeat with Turkey. Such a statement cannot be found in other open sources, nor in the Georgian and English-language media.
In order to verify the information, “Myth Detector” also contacted the press office of the Georgian national football team. The representative of the press service, Tamuna Kapanadze, confirmed that the quote is fabricated and that Giorgi Mamardashvili did not make a similar statement.
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