Zaza Bendeliani
Zaza Bendeliani | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bendela |
| Born | 25 February 1969 Zugdidi, Georgia |
| Died | 2 December 1992 (aged 23) Tamishi, Georgia |
| Allegiance |  Georgia |
| Years of service | 1991-1992 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Commands held | Georgian Armed Forces |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Gagra |
| Awards |  |
Zaza Bendeliani (Georgian: ზაზა ბენდელიანი) (February 25, 1969 – December 2, 1992) was a Georgian footballer and a soldier who was killed during the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993). He was posthumously awarded the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order by the Georgian government in 1993.
Career
The footballer nicknamed "Bendela", Zaza Bendeliani[1] was born on February 25, 1969, in the city of Zugdidi, Georgia. Family: His mother was a teacher of Russian literature and grammar, Natela Churgulia, and his father was an Honored Engineer of Georgia, Jumber Bendeliani. His younger sister is Veriko.
In 1976, when Zaza Bendeliani was in the fifth grade of high school, his father, as a civil engineer, was sent to the city of Gagra in Abkhazia, and Zaza lived in this seaside city for five years. He began to play football at the sports school in Gagra city, under the guidance of experienced coaches: Giorgi Sichinava and Tamaz Kuchukhidze.
In 1981, Zaza Bendeliani's family returned to Tbilisi. At 12 years old, Zaza continued his studies at school No. 61 in Tbilisi, on Dolidze Street. He was also accepted by the Avaza (The word "Avaza" is the cheetah in Georgian) Football School named Mikheil Meskhi, where he was coached by Wili Gogichadze.
Then he was transferred to the sports school "Young Dynamo," where he was put in the position of wing-back, but Zaza himself was very unhappy about this, as his coach Vili Gogichadze recalls. He was tearing up the front, helping his team in attacking. As a defender, he fought for the ball to the end.
In 1986, after graduating from school No. 61 in Tbilisi, Zaza continued his studies at the Georgian Zootechnical and Veterinary Institute.
From 1985 to 1988, Zaza became a member of the Georgian national team and a candidate for the Soviet Union national team. Then his youth team of 18-year-old football players of the Georgian national team became the Champion of the Soviet Union, and for the fourth time won first place and a gold medal at the All-Soviet-Union tournaments: "Cup of Hope" and "Youth." For these victories, Zaza Bendeliani became a candidate for the master of sports.
In 1986, the coach of Kutaisi city "Torpedo", Givi Nodia, invited Zaza Bendeliani to his team, which then played in the top league at the championship of the Soviet Union.
Zaza was an "Attacking midfielder", but then he became a defender as a right "winger", often helping his team in attacks too. He was a technical and strong fighter, had a perfect vision of the football field, and made accurate passes.
His ideals were: the great Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela, football player Boris Paichadze and alpinist Mikhail Khergiani.
The war in Abkhazia
The War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) began on August 14, 1992, and from August 27, Zaza was in the war as an ordinary soldier. After numerous requests from the football community of Georgia, he was released from military duties and returned to Tbilisi.
On October 2, 1992, in the Battle of Gagra, the conquest took place from the side of the separatists of the city of Gagra, the hometown of Zaza Bendeliani. This was a battle for control over Gagra, between Georgian troops on the one hand and Abkhaz separatist formations, with the support of irregular formations of the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, with the secret support from the Russian State and its entire military resources. According to plausible sources, one hundred Georgians (including four school friends of Zaza Bendeliani) were illegally held in the central stadium in Gagra, where they were later executed by beheading, and their heads were used by separatists as balls in a football match.[2]
Such a game of football from separatists using a clipped opponent's head at the football stadium of Gagra city radically changed the life of Zaza Bendeliani. And so that no one knew in advance, Zaza Bendeliani returned to the front line. He, as a platoon commander, fought in the fourth “Tetri Giorgi” Special Forces Battalion, which was part of the first brigade of the Georgian Guard under the leadership of Major General Giorgi Karkarashvili.
On December 2, 1992, during the battle for the capture of the village of Tamishi, at the height of Anuarkhu, when the "White Giorgi" battalion, consisting of 80 fighters, switched to attack, it stopped in front of a field that could be mined, and the attack stopped. Zaza Bendeliani was the first to run in this field, which turned out to be mined. Zaza exploded on a mine, but he saved other fighters from his battalion.
Zaza Bendeliani is buried in Tbilisi, in the Saburtalo cemetery.
Awards
Zaza Bendeliani has been awarded the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order, 1st Rank (1993).
The memory After Death
In 1993, by order of the Georgian President, Zaza Bendeliani (after his death) was awarded the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali of the First Degree. Established in 1992, the Vakhtang Gorgasali Order is a three-degree military decoration awarded to personnel who displayed courage and heroism in fighting for and protecting the motherland and its territorial unification, while skillfully leading their troops and creating and carrying out successful military operations.
In 1993, school No. 61 in Tbilisi, where Zaza studied, was named after him.
Since 1994, in Tbilisi, there is a street named after Zaza Bendeliani, where he lived since 1970.
In Tbilisi, on Mikheil Asatiani Street, near the Tbilisi Medical University, there is a stadium named "Bendela".[3]
Since 1993, Tbilisi has hosted traditional mini-football tournaments for the Bendela Cup every year. For this tournament, in 2001, composer Vazha Azarashvili, with lyrics by Mikho Mosulishvili, created a football anthem about Zaza Bendeliani, which is often performed during the open tournament and when awarding teams.
In 2003, writer Mikho Mosulishvili created the non-fiction book about Zaza Bendeliani, Bendela (The knight on the football field, the knight on the battlefield).[4]
References
- ↑ Zaza Bendeliani (Q113368838) [user-generated source]
- ↑ The Parliament of Georgia report “Genocide/Ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia: Ciphers, facts...”. 1999.
- ↑ Stadioni Bendela
- ↑ Bendela (The knight on the football field, the knight on the battlefield)
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