Temur Ketsbaia, the former Newcastle cult hero, has been sacked as the manager of Cyprus following a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Kosovo in the UEFA Nations League. This comes as a blow to Ketsbaia, who was in his third year with the Cyprus national team. Ranked 127th by FIFA, Cyprus dropped 20 places in the global rankings during his tenure.
The Cyprus federation has not yet announced an interim coach to take over for their upcoming Nations League games. Ketsbaia’s two wins this year came against San Marino in June and Lithuania in their first Nations League match last week.
It’s worth noting that Cyprus had a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, losing all eight games and finishing at the bottom of their group, which included Scotland, Norway, Georgia, and eventual winners Spain.
Ketsbaia, a 56-year-old former player for Wolves and AEK Athens, is best known for his time at Newcastle, where he scored 14 goals in 107 appearances. However, his most memorable moment came during a Premier League match against Bolton in March 1998.
Coming off the bench in the 79th minute with the score at 1-1, Ketsbaia scored a last-minute winner. In an iconic celebration, he ripped off his shirt, launched it into the crowd, and proceeded to kick the advertising boards surrounding the pitch in a display of pure emotion and frustration. While many Newcastle fans were left baffled, Ketsbaia later explained that it was his way of releasing the built-up frustration of being named on the bench earlier in the day.
Ketsbaia’s managerial career includes coaching Georgia for five years between 2009 and 2014, as well as working for AEK and Cypriot clubs APOEL and Anorthosis.
While Ketsbaia’s time as the manager of Cyprus has come to an end, his impact as a player and his memorable celebrations will forever be etched in the minds of football fans. It remains to be seen what the future holds for this football icon.