After shining at Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in particular, Mamadou Sakho (35) is now the delight of the Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi. Discreet in the media since his arrival in Georgia, the former defensive rock of the Blues agreed to return, exclusively in our columns, on his choice to commit to Georgia, while analyzing Georgian football in full swing. Almost six months later, Mamadou Sakho is taking advantage of the off-season to recharge his batteries as a family and prepare for the new season which will begin in a month, with preparation expected at the end of January. Arriving during the Georgian season with a multi-faceted role within the team, Sakho is enjoying this new tailor-made challenge. Despite a small physical problem at the end of the season, he appeared 13 times in the black and white jersey.
“Negotiations between Mamadou Sakho and Torpedo Kutaisi lasted about 2 months and the parties agreed on all the details of his transfer. The player will not only help Torpedo Kutaisi win titles, but he will be something of an ambassador to the international football community. Mamadou Sakho will actively participate in the implementation of the club’s economic projects, as well as various public and charitable activities. He will also participate in the development of the Torpedo Kutaisi Academy with club manager Steve Kean, will mentor young players and ensure their professional development», We could read in the official press release published on June 11 on the website of the Georgian club. The city of Kutaisi, located in the Imereti region in the west of the country, has already found its new favorite.
A carefully considered choice
Since his arrival in Georgia, Mamadou Sakho has played 13 matches for Torpedo Kutaisi. A major club in Georgia like Dinamo Tbilisi and Dinamo Batumi, the Black and White finished in 2nd position in the Georgian championship – behind the astonishing FC Iberia which was crowned champion for the second time in its history. The Parisian Titi is very happy to have signed up with the club from Kutaisi, the third largest city in Georgia: “I am very happy here. The family is very happy too. I’m really happy to have made that choice. Things are going very well with the club. We have a very good relationship with the players too. We have a team with players who come from several backgrounds. We have Norwegians, Brazilians, Serbs. The season is going very well. Since I arrived, I have played eleven matches in one go. Then I had a little soreness in my calf. I had to miss four games. It’s the end of the season here. We resume pre-season on January 20“, Mamadou Sakho told us. His club Torpedo Kutaisi also lost the Super Cup to Dinamo Tbilisi and exited in the round of 16 of the Cup against Dinamo Tbilisi II, Dinamo Tbilisi’s reserve team.
If the choice may have surprised in France, Mamadou Sakho, who is today also an entrepreneur since he notably founded Sakho & Co (a group built around the values which drive it such as “generosity, excellence, sharing, perseverance and integrity”); explains in detail the reasons for settling in Central Asia: “it’s a choice of location and also a choice of family. As my family came here a month before I joined, they were very well received by the club, by the president, by the coach… It’s a very beautiful country, surprising. It reminds me a little of Albania with the beach and the skiing. There is a very good living environment for the family. The school is exceptional. Even having lived in London and Paris, I have never seen such a 2.0 school. She is magnificent. There is everything needed for children to grow up in good conditions and in a good environment. When I talk about location, it is also linked to the fact that I have several businesses in Dubai. And it’s a 3 hour flight. There is also the sporting aspect. It’s a club that has ambitions here in Georgia. It is not a club at the bottom of the table where you have to fight to avoid relegation“.
View this post on Instagram
His opinion on Georgian football
Georgia, which is starting to export many gems such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Zuriko Davitashvili, Georges Mikautadze, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Gabriel Sigua, is becoming the new selection which is rising under the leadership of Willy Sagnol. Less publicized, the championship is also experiencing a major positive change: “it is a championship which is progressing with quality players. The Georgian federation invests a lot in training, on the pitch and in the framework for young Georgian players. Throughout the country, there are pitches that have been really well implemented, with beautiful changing rooms, quality equipment so that young Georgian talents can have the opportunity to express themselves throughout the country. I think we saw it during the last European Championship. Georgia has arrived at a level that no one expected with young players emerging. They have a very good vision of football in general, especially to help their national team grow. I was surprised by the infrastructure of Georgian football. They invest quite a bit in stadiums. Honestly, I think it’s cool», Analyzes Mamadou Sakho on our microphone. According to the report published by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF), 37 stadiums have been renovated or built since 2016 and 18 other venues are currently under construction. In the Erovnuli Liga, the Georgian championship, a total of 2.6 million people watched a match at least once in 2022. An exceptional increase compared to the 200,000 recorded in 2017.
Mamadou Sakho has clearly settled in a country that lives to the rhythm of football, and his role as supervisor of the young teams of the Torpedo Kutaisi Academy will be also important, while the federation announced 37,609 licensees in 2021 for 14,676 in 2015. Growing popularity enabled by teams like Torpedo Kutaisi where Mamadou Sakho plays. A team coached by the Scotsman Steve Kean (former director of the Fulham training center, assistant at Real Sociedad, coach at Hibernian, Blackburn, Brunei editor’s note) which produces an attractive offensive game. In the season which has just ended, they scored 58 goals in 36 days thanks to the championship’s top scorer Bjørn Johnsen: “It’s true that I’m in one of the best teams in the country, so it’s true that we often have the ball, we attack quite well. We will say that the teams we meet often play low. Afterwards, the three best teams in the championship have quality. Besides, we were in the Europa Conference League. We lost against a Cyprus team, who were better than us and who played against Manchester United afterwards“. While the title escaped it by five small points, Mamadou Sakho’s Torpedo Kutaisi can dream big in Georgia for this new upcoming campaign.
