Luka Lochoshvili wins FIFA Fair Play Award for saving opponent Georg Teigl | OneFootball

Luka Lochoshvili was the winner of the FIFA Fair Play Award during Monday’s The Best ceremony.

The special accolade is a FIFA recognition of exemplary behaviour that promotes the spirit of fair play and compassion in football around the world.

Previous winners include Gary Lineker, who played his entire 16-year career as a professional without receiving a yellow or red card; Marcelo Bielsa, for allowing Aston Villa to score a goal unopposed against his Leeds United team; and the Denmark national team and medical staff, for saving Christian Eriksen’s life during Euro 2020.

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Why did Luka Lochoshvili win FIFA Fair Play Award?

Lochoshvili received the 2022 FIFA Fair Play Award for saving the life of an opponent during an Austrian Bundesliga match.

The game was drawing to a close when Austria Vienna winger Georg Teigl lost consciousness and slumped motionless on the turf after colliding with the knee of his opponent Nikolas Veratschnig.

While most players on the pitch either didn’t notice what had happened or were stood frozen in shock, Wolfsberger AC’s Lochoshvili recognised the seriousness of the situation and immediately sprang to action.

Aware that Teigl was at risk of choking, the 23-year-old bravely reached into his opponent’s mouth and removed his tongue from his throat.

Paramedics then rushed onto the pitch to help treat Teigl, who had suffered a skill fracture plus a broken cheekbone and jaw in the incident.

Without Lochoshvili’s quick thinking, the situation could have been a lot more severe for Teigl.

What was said about Lochoshvili's life-saving actions?

Speaking about the dramatic scenes after the game in February 2022, Wolfsberger AC coach Robin Dutt told reporters: “It was an incredible feat from Luka. In all honesty, I think that was the most important moment on the pitch today.”

Austria boss Manfred Schmid added: “It was a very dramatic moment. We can only congratulate and thank Lochoshvili for what he did. Even if you have the right training, it’s not always easy to step up when a situation like that presents itself.”

Teigl, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude on social media.

“THANK YOU Luka Lochoshvili for your quick reactions,” he wrote. “Your intervention may well have saved my life.”

What did Lochoshvili say at FIFA's The Best ceremony?

Lochoshvili, the Georgia international who plies his trade with Cremonese in Serie A, wasn’t able to attend the glitzy Paris ceremony on Monday but commented via a video call.

“Fortunately, I knew what had to be done, and I think I got hold of his tongue in the nick of time,” he said.

"This is a huge honour for me, I would like to thank you for this award.

”I’m very happy about that, but even happier that I was able to save Georg's life. The most important things in football are fair play and respect."