// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs FC Samgurali Tskaltubo a soccer team? Does it kick it up a notch?
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| Full name | Football Club Samgurali Tskaltubo | |||
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| Founded | 1945 | |||
| Ground | 26 May Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 3,500 | |||
| Owner | Mikheil Iashvili | |||
| Coach | Giorgi Oniani | |||
| League | Erovnuli Liga | |||
| 2025 | Erovnuli Liga, 7th of 10 | |||
| Website | fcsamgurali.ge | |||
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FC Samgurali (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი სამგურალი) is a Georgian association football club from Tskaltubo, which takes part in the Erovnuli Liga, the first tier of Georgian football.
They have been runners-up of the Georgian Cup three times.
History
[edit]In Soviet and national leagues
[edit]Formed in 1945 as FC Medic, the football club from Tskaltubo had the most prolific years in the 1980s. Between 1983 and 1990 under the name Shadrevani 83 they became champions of the Georgian Soviet league three times, once finished as runners-up and once won bronze medals.
When the Georgian Football Federation formed an independent championship in 1990, Samgurali spent eight out of the initial ten seasons in the top flight. In 1999/2000, they finished in the drop zone and left the league. In this period the team experienced the worst decade in their history as they ceased to exist for four years.[1]
Samgurali gained promotion to the second division in 2010 and stayed there as a stable member for nine successive seasons. The team finished as group runners-up in the 2016 transitional tournament, when the promotion rule was suspended.[2] Two years later they slipped into the relegation zone after the last round. Worse was yet to come, as Samgurali suffered a play-off defeat on away goals.[3]
Despite this setback, following the club's purchase by new owners in the summer of 2019, ambitious promotion plans were unveiled.[4] It took Samgurali a year to climb back to Liga 2. The team came 2nd in the regular season and secured a convincing victory in both play-off ties.[5] The next season brought another triumph. The club prevailed over their opponents again in both games and returned to the first tier after an eighteen-year break.[6] This double promotion in two consecutive years was achieved under head coach Ucha Sosiashvili.
Due to his impressive performance in the league, striker Sergo Kukhianidze became the first Samgurali player who was called up to the national team for friendly games in June 2021.[7]
In 2022, Samgurali had a memorable season, which could have resulted in their first top-league medals since 1990. As primary contenders for the third place, the team needed to play at least a draw in the final day of the season against rivals Dila Gori. But they threw away this initial advantage and ended up fourth for the second time in their recent history.[8]
Georgian Cup
[edit]Apart from winning promotion to Erovnuli Liga, the team in 2020 also achieved an impressive success by reaching the final of the David Kipiani Cup for the first time since 1999. As in the previous case though, they again lost the final game on penalty shoot-out.[9]
Nor the third attempt made the next year was fruitful. Having won four away games en route to the final, Samgurali were defeated in the regular time with a narrow margin.[10]
Seasons
[edit]| Season | Div | Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | Goals | Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | UL | 14/18 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 42 | 57 | 39 | R3 | ||
| 1991 | UL | 11/20 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 34 | 24 | – | ||
| 1991/92 | UL | 12/20 | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 41 | 55 | 48 | R1 | ||
| 1992/93 | UL | 4/17 | 32 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 73 | 51 | 58 | Merab Megreladze | 41 | QF |
| 1993/94 | UL, West | 8/8 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 4 | QF | ||
| 11-19 Places | 14/19 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 29 | 28 | ||||
| 1994/95 | UL | 16/16↓ | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 30 | 68 | 21 | R1 | ||
| 1995/96 | PL | 1/20↑ | 38 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 132 | 28 | 102 | DNE | ||
| 1996/97 | UL | 11/16 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 54 | 35 | R2 | ||
| 1997/98 | UL | 12/16 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 31 | 50 | 34 | R1 | ||
| 1998/99 | UL | 11/16 | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 32 | 57 | 33 | RU | ||
| 1999/2000 | UL, A | 7/8 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 11 | R1 | ||
| 9-16 Places | 13/16↓ | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 33 | ||||
| 2000/01 | PL | 6/12 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 40 | 39 | QF | ||
| 1-6 Places | 3/6↑ | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 38 | ||||
| 2001/02 | UL | 12/12 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 37 | 14 | R2 | ||
| 7-12 Places | 11/12↓ | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 23 | ||||
| 2002/03 | PL | 4/16 | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 42 | 26 | 53 | R1 | ||
| 2003/04 | PL | 2/16 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 39 | 19 | 58 | R2 | ||
| The club was dissolved in 2005-2009 | ||||||||||||
| 2010/11 | PL | 14/17 | 32 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 38 | 64 | 30 | DNE | ||
| 2011/12 | PL | 7/10 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 23 | 23 | Giorgi Bukhaidze | 7 | DNE |
| 2012/13 | PL | 6/12 | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 59 | 48 | 46 | Tornike Kapanadze | 27 | R1 |
| 2013/14 | PL | 7/14 | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 49 | 49 | 39 | Giorgi Bukhaidze | 14 | R1 |
| 2014/15 | PL | 4/10 | 36 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 76 | 50 | 60 | Giorgi Tevdoradze | 17 | R1 |
| 2015/16 | PL | 6/18 | 34 | 16 | 3 | 15 | 60 | 46 | 51 | Giorgi Tevdoradze | 17 | DNE |
| 2016 | PL | 2/9 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 24 | 32 | Mamuka Gongadze | 8 | R1 |
| 2017 | L2 | 4/10 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 53 | Gaga Chkhetiani | 12 | R5 |
| 2018 | L2 | 8/10↓ | 36 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 40 | 56 | 41 | Gaga Chkhetiani | 12 | R3 |
| 2019 | L3 | 2/10↑ | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 52 | 29 | 70 | Sergo Kukhianidze | 16 | R2 |
| 2020 | L2 | 2/10 ↑ | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 12 | 30 | Sergo Kukhianidze | 7 | RU |
| 2021 | EL | 7/10 | 36 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 34 | 46 | 41 | Sergo Kukhianidze | 11 | RU |
| 2022 | EL | 4/10 | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 55 | 44 | 57 | Irakli Rukhadze | 13 | R3 |
| 2023 | EL | 5/10 | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 53 | 51 | 57 | Giorgi Nikabadze | 9 | SF |
| 2024 | EL | 5/10 | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 51 | 49 | 44 | Luka Khorkheli | 11 | R4 |
| 2025 | EL | 7/10 | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 54 | 53 | 42 | Giorgi Pantsulaia | 17 | R4 |
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Key to league record: P = Played W = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final position |
Key to divisions:
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Key to rounds:
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Honours
[edit]- Georgian Soviet Championship
- Champion: 1983, 1985, 1989
- Georgian Soviet Cup
- Champion: 1988, 1989
- Georgian Cup:
- Erovnuli Liga 2
- Champion: 1996
- Silver Medal winner: 1997, 2004, 2020
- Bronze Medal winner: 2001
Top scorers
[edit]With 41 goals scored in the 1992/93 season, Merab Megreladze has been the leading goalscorer not only in the history of Samgurali, but also in the Georgian top football division since its creation in 1990.[11]
Current squad
[edit]As of 29 July 2026[12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
[edit]
Giorgi Gogiashvili (August 2011 – July 2016)- Gia Gigatadze (August 2016 – May 2018)
- Besik Khachiperadze (May 2018 – January 2019)
- Mikheil Makhviladze (January – September 2019)
- Ucha Sosiashvili (September 2019 – April 2021)[13]
- Samson Pruidze (April – December 2021)
- Giorgi Mikadze (December 2021 – December 2022)[14]
- Giorgi Chelidze (January – September 2023)[15]
Oleksandr Poklonskyi (October – December 2023)- Mikheil Ashvetia (December 2023 – October 2024)
Rodolfo Vanoli (October 2024 – May 2025)
Thiago Gomes (May 2025 – January 2026)- Giorgi Oniani (since January 2026)
Other teams
[edit]Samgurali have several teams participating in different youth tournaments. The reserve team known as Samgurali-2, which has recently spent one season in the third division, won Regionuli Liga Group West in 2021 and became a member of Liga 4.[16]
Stadium
[edit]The local football ground named after 26 May, the Georgian Independence Day, has undergone a several-phase reconstruction since 2018. After individual seats were installed, the arena has the capacity of 3,500.[17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "აღზევება: "სამგურალის" გზა მაღალი საზოგადოებისკენ". lelo.ge (in Georgian). 29 December 2020.
- ↑ "პირველი ლიგა ოთხმა კლუბმა გაინაღდა". mysports.ge (in Georgian), 25 November 2016.
- ↑ "სამგურალი - გურია". eliga.ge (in Georgian). 14 December 2018.
- ↑ "საინტერესო გეგმები წყალტუბოს "სამგურალის" პრეზიდენტისგან". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian). 18 February 2020.
- ↑ "სამგურალი ეროვნულ ლიგაში აღზევდა". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 19 December 2020.
- ↑ "18-წლიანი ლოდინი დასრულდა - სამგურალი ეროვნულ ლიგაშია". popsport.com (in Georgian), 19 December 2020.
- ↑ "წარმოუდგენელი გრძნობაა' - სერგო კუხიანიძე საქართველოს ნაკრებში გამოძახებაზე". popsport.com (in Georgian), 18 May 2021.
- ↑ "3:0 კონკურენტთან - გორის დილა კონფერენსლიგაზე გავიდა". europop.ge (in Georgian). 3 December 2022.
- ↑ "Სამგურალი - გაგრა". gff.ge (in Georgian). 8 November 2020.
- ↑ "სამგურალის მესამე ვერცხლი საქართველოს თასზე". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 8 December 2021.
- ↑ "საინტერესო ფაქტები ეროვნული ლიგის ბომბარდირებზე". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 6 December 2021.
- ↑ "Players". erovnuliliga.ge.
- ↑ "უჩა სოსიაშვილმა წყალტუბოს სამგურალი დატოვა". live.ge (in Georgian). 14 April 2021.
- ↑ "სამგურალს გიორგი მიქაძე გაწვრთნის". fcsamgurali.ge (in Georgian), 28 December 2021.
- ↑ "წყალტუბოს სამგურალის მთავარ მწვრთნელად გიორგი ჭელიძე დაინიშნა". europop.ge (in Georgian). 3 January 2023.
- ↑ "2021 in Regional league". gff.ge.
- ↑ "3000 ინდივიდუალური სკამი ტრიბუნაზე – წყალტუბოში სტადიონი რეაბილიტირდება" (in Georgian). 23 August 2021.