The founder of Georgia's ruling party, billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, announced on Thursday that he would donate 30 million lari ($10.7 million) to the national football team following their surprising victory over Portugal, which secured their spot in the Euro 2024 last 16. In a statement released by his Georgian Dream party, Ivanishvili extended his congratulations to the team and committed the funds from his charitable foundation, acknowledging the achievement as a 'historic and dream victory'. Valued at $4.9 billion, Ivanishvili also promised an additional 30 million lari if Georgia triumphs over Spain in the upcoming last 16 match on Sunday. Manager Willy Sagnol noted that expectations were low for Georgia heading into Euro 2024, celebrating merely qualifying as a significant accomplishment. However, the team exceeded all expectations by defeating Portugal, ranked 68 places higher, with a 2-0 victory on Wednesday, advancing to the knockout stage in their first major tournament appearance. Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze secured the win. Sagnol highlighted the advantages of being an underdog in such tournaments, stating, 'When you’re the small team, you know you have nothing to lose.' He emphasized the team's pre-competition mindset: 'Whatever happened, we don’t want any regrets after the competition, the regret of maybe not having played our football or maybe not having enjoyed the competition as much as we should have done.'