FC Gareji Sagarejo

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FC Gareji
FC Gareji 1960.png
Founded1960; 61 years ago (1960)
GroundCentral stadium, Sagarejo
ChairmanLazare Datunashvili
ManagerTengiz Kobiashvili
LeagueErovnuli Liga 2
20214th in Liga 2

FC Gareji is a Georgian Association football club from Sagarejo, which currently takes part in Erovnuli Liga 2, the second tier of Georgian football league.

History[]

Established in 1960, during the Soviet period Gareji for many years participated in Georgian republican championship and later, after 1990, spent several seasons in the second and third divisions.

A recent rise of the team started from Regionuli Liga won by Gareji in 2018.

As winners of D Group East of the regional league, Gareji were promoted to the newly created Liga 4. They finished 3rd, outside of the promotion zone, which was still widely regarded as success for the debutants. Further events unfolded unexpectedly. After FC Tskhinvali failed to fulfill their financial obligations, they were expelled from Liga 3 and replaced by Gareji, which filled the vacuum as a 3rd placed team.[1]

Against all odds, the promoted team under head coach Tengiz Kobiashvili emerged among the third division leaders from the outset of the 2020 season and convincingly prevailed over their rivals in the promotion battle by winning 14 games out of 18.[2] With this achievement Gareji completed a remarkable journey from the fifth division to Liga 2 within the shortest period of time.

Once in the second league, for most of 2021 Gareji was still aiming at the promotion, competing with Merani Martvili for a third qualifying place. Ultimately the latter prevailed, although Gareji recorded some impressive victories, including 8-0, which was the biggest win of the season for any Liga 2 team.

Seasons[]

Year League Pos MP W D L GD P Notes
2014/15 Meore Liga East 6th 28 14 4 10 63-52 46
2015/16 Meore Liga East 6th 26 14 2 10 64-52 44
2016 Meore Liga Group D 3rd 14 8 0 6 43-34 24
2017 Regionuli Liga East B 4th 24 13 3 8 52-39 42
2018 Regionuli Liga East D 1st 20 15 3 2 84-29 48 Promoted
2019 Liga 4 3rd 27 17 6 4 66-34 57 Promoted
2020 Liga 3 1st 18 14 1 3 33-17 43 Promoted
2021 Liga 2 4th 36 15 5 16 52-48 50

Georgian Cup[]

In 2019 Gareji became a first ever 4th league team in Georgian football history to reach semifinals of the national Cup. The fact that head coach Davit Kokiashvili quit Gareji two days prior to the game may have affected the club,[3] but they offered Lokomotive Tbilisi a decent resistance during the entire match. Despite taking the lead after first 45 minutes, eventually Gareji lost 2–3, after conceding the third goal from a penalty spot.[4]

The next year Gareji were eliminated by Samgurali, the runners-up of the Cup.[5]

The team reached quarterfinals also in 2021 where they lost to Saburtalo in the dying minutes of the game.[6]

Players[]

As of 7 August 2021[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Ukraine UKR Bohdan Bezkrovnyi
2 DF Georgia (country) GEO Omar Bulukhadze
3 DF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Mekoshkishvili
5 DF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi T.Tkeshelashvili
6 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nikoloz Nozadze
7 MF Colombia COL Steven Bermudez
8 MF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Melkadze
9 MF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Enukidze
11 FW Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi E.Tkeshelashvili
12 DF Georgia (country) GEO Bichiko Gedenidze
13 MF Georgia (country) GEO Zura Dzamsashvili
14 MF Georgia (country) GEO Tornike Mosiashvili
15 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Galakhvaridze
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF Georgia (country) GEO Guram Kharebava
18 MF Georgia (country) GEO Lasha Lezhava
20 FW Georgia (country) GEO Besik Chimakadze (C)
21 GK Georgia (country) GEO Guja Akhalkatsi
22 DF Georgia (country) GEO Vakhtang Kapanadze
23 MF Georgia (country) GEO Vazha Kikava
24 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Koniashvili
25 FW Georgia (country) GEO Nikoloz Khintibidze
27 DF Georgia (country) GEO Nikoloz Kurshavishvili
28 MF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Papuashvili
30 GK Georgia (country) GEO Nika Shermadini
33 MF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Kharebashvili

Other teams[]

Gareji also have a reserve team, which participates in Group East of Regionuli Liga.[8]

Stadium[]

Gareji's home arena is the Central stadium with the capacity of 2,000 seats, which sustained major reconstruction works in 2018.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Gareji gains promotion with new manager". 5 Feb 2020. Retrieved 29 Dec 2020.
  2. ^ "საქართველოს ლიგა 3 გარეჯი 1960-მა მოიგო". Georgian Public TV. 4 Dec 2020. Retrieved 29 Dec 2020.
  3. ^ "საქართველოს თასის ნახევარფინალში გასული კლუბის მწვრთნელი თამაშამდე 2 დღით ადრე გუნდიდან წავიდა". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 23 October 2019.
  4. ^ "ლ��კომოტივმა გარეჯი მძიმე ბრძოლაში დაამარცხა და ფინალში გავიდა". 23 Oct 2019. Retrieved 29 Dec 2020.
  5. ^ "წყალტუბოს "სამგურალი" თასის ნახევარფინალშია". 17 Sep 2020. Retrieved 29 Dec 2020.
  6. ^ "საბურთალო თასის ნახევარფინალშია". fcsaburtalo.ge (in Georgian). 28 October 2021. Retrieved 4 Dec 2021.
  7. ^ "List of Gareji players". gff.ge.
  8. ^ "Regional league 2021". gff.ge.
  9. ^ "საგარეჯოს საფეხბურთო სტადიონი 2000 მაყურებელს დაიტევს". 1tv.ge (in Georgian).

External links[]

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