Even if he had South African roots, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wouldn’t qualify to play for Bafana Bafana
No, Kvaratskhelia is not South African: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has featured over 40 times for his country. Even if he had South African heritage – he doesn’t – he wouldn’t be eligible to play for Bafana Bafana at next year’s World Cup. Photo: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP
Image: Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP
South Africans are still on a high after Bafana Bafana beat Rwanda 3-0 last week to book their place in next year’s World Cup in North America.
It will be South Africa’s first time since the 2010 edition on home soil that they will be going up against the world’s best for the ultimate prize in football.
Bafana’s qualification has got South Africans a little too excited. Over the weekend, there was some internet tomfoolery when a clearly AI-generated video of Paris St Germain’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia claiming to be South African was posted and shared on social media.
In the video, Kvaratskhelia states that due to Georgia failing to qualify for the World Cup, he would love to switch nationalty to South Africa. It didn’t help that the official Bafana Bafana account was one of those to share it.
Because many people still can’t tell when something online is AI-generated, there were those who believed that Kvaratskhelia has a parent with South African heritage and that he will be donning the Bafana Bafana jersey at next year’s World Cup in North America.
Kvaratskhelia does not have an ounce of South African blood in him. And even if he did, he still wouldn’t be eligible to represent another nation other than Georgia as he has already played 45 times them, and featured at last year’s Euros as well as World Cup qualifiers. In fact, his international debut back in 2019 was a competitive Euro 2020 qualifier, so he would have been disqualified then already.
FIFA distinguishes between friendly matches and competitive fixtures when it comes to national team eligibility.
A player with multiple nationalities can play in a friendly for one country without being permanently tied to it, but once they feature in a competitive fixture – such as a World Cup qualifier, continental qualifier, continental tournament – they become “cap-tied” and cannot switch to another national team.
The incident, while harmless on the surface, highlighted just how quickly misinformation can spread in the age of AI. What began as a playful post soon turned into a nationwide talking point, with fans debating whether the clip was genuine. It served as a reminder that in football’s digital age, even celebrations can come with a dose of digital confusion.
In the end, the fake video was just another sign of how fired up the country is about Bafana’s return to the world stage. When South Africans start claiming international stars as their own, you know that “Philip is here” – a playful reminder of the excitement that was first felt ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
IOL Sport