TBILISI, July 16 (Reuters) - Georgia have pulled out of next month's friendly against Estonia and have fixed up a first ever meeting with southern neighbours Turkey instead.
'We were trying to get this (Turkey) match for two years and
finally it came to reality,' Valery Cholaria, secretary general
of the Georgian soccer federation, told Reuters on Tuesday.
'It's a major achievement and a big honour for us to play
the team which finished third in the World Cup finals.
'I hope the Estonians will understand us.'
The two countries on the Black Sea enjoy a visa-free entry
agreement and Cholaria hopes that many Georgians will travel to
the Turkish city of Trabzon for the match on August 21.
'Trabzon is close to a Georgian border and I really hope
that many our fans will attend this historic match,' he said.
It will be the last warm-up for both countries before they
begin their respective Euro 2004 qualifying campaigns.
Turkey, who are drawn with England, Slovakia, Macedonia and
Liechtenstein in group seven, host the Slovaks in their Euro
opener on September 7, while Georgia, grouped with Switzerland,
Russia, Ireland and Albania, face the Swiss on the same day.
Cholaria also said that Georgia will try to reschedule their
friendly with Estonia.
'We're playing Estonia next February in Tbilisi and we'll
try to organise a return match in Tallinn next summer,' he said.
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