Georgian Footballer Guram Kashia Wins UEFA's Inaugural #EqualGame Award
Guram Kashia is the captain of the Georgian national football team and currently plays for the San Jose Earthquakes in California, USA.
Yesterday, UEFA’s inaugural #EqualGame Award was given to Kashia for his support of the LGBT community on the football field. UEFA announced the decision in a statement on their website:
UEFA have chosen to give the inaugural #EqualGame award to Georgian national team player Guram Kashia. The award aims to recognize a player who has acted as a role model in promoting diversity, inclusion and accessibility in European football and it will be presented at the UEFA Champions League group stage draw and gala in Monaco on 30 August.
Kashia won the award for taking a courageous public stand for equality. Whilst playing for Dutch top-division outfit SBV Vitesse last season, the 31-year-old central defender joined other team captains at domestic matches in the Netherlands in wearing a rainbow armband, signifying support for the LGBT community.
Kashia’s gesture was greeted with an extremely negative and hostile response in certain quarters in his native Georgia. There were even calls for him to renounce playing for the national team. Nevertheless, he was defiant in the face of the abuse and threats he received, insisting he had no regrets about wearing the armband and underlining his full support for diversity and inclusion.
Following his public endorsement of equality for all, Kashia was given widespread praise for his actions by the wider football community – including the current Georgian Football Federation (GFF) president Levan Kobiashvili, via his Facebook page, and fellow players.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin added his own backing by saying, “I congratulate Guram for his strong character and his courage. Guram has taken an important stand to support the LGBT community and equality overall and deserves to win this award...Even though his actions sparked threats and abuse from many groups, he preached tolerance and acceptance, and helped change perceptions of this minority group in his native country of Georgia.”
Kashia, who is now playing in the MLS with the San Jose Earthquakes, said "I am honored that UEFA has picked me as the recipient of the #EqualGame Award. I believe in equality for everyone, no matter what you believe in, who you love or who you are...I thank UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin for this award, and I will always keep defending equality and equal rights for everyone, wherever I will play."
UEFA’s award reflects the key core ethos of its #EqualGame campaign - that everyone has the right to enjoy football, irrespective of ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, social background or religious beliefs.
“The introduction of the #EqualGame award,” said Čeferin, “aims to celebrate and recognize the players who promote diversity, inclusion and accessibility - the values of our campaign...Football is a force for social change,” he added, “and people who are role models in their communities and who utilize sport for good should be rewarded.”
The initiative for captains to wear rainbow armbands in the Netherlands came from the John Blankenstein Foundation, an organization inspired by the late former top Dutch referee which aims to improve LGBT acceptance in organized sport, as well as the umbrella body for professional football club player councils within the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB), the Central Players’ Council (Centrale Spelersraad, CSR).
Kashia joined the Earthquakes in June of this year, joining fellow Georgian Vako Qazaishvili.
Kashia played for Dutch club Vitesse from 2010-2018, making nearly 300 appearances and scoring over 20 goals. The defender was named Georgian Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013, and was awarded the Eredivisie Player of the Month Award for August 2015.
By Samantha Guthrie
Photo: San Jose Earthquakes