FC Samtredia (Georgian: სკ სამტრედია), commonly known as Samtredia, is a Georgian professional football club based in the city of Samtredia.

FC Samtredia
Full nameFootball Club Samtredia
Founded1936; 88 years ago (1936) as Sanavardo Samtredia
GroundErosi Manjgaladze Stadium, Samtredia, Georgia
Capacity3,000
ChairmanGia Omanadze
ManagerVladimer Kakashvili
LeagueErovnuli Liga
20239th of 10 in Erovnuli Liga, Play-offs

The club competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the first tier of Georgian football. Their home ground is the Erosi Manjgaladze Stadium.

In 2016, Samtredia won the league and the Super Cup.

Pre-Independence

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Soviet League Era

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Established in 1936, Samtredia spent years in the Georgian SSR Championship before the club eventually obtained the right to participate in the Soviet Second League, the third tier of the Soviet football system. Lokomotivi Samtredia finished their season as runners-up several times and even won the league twice, although they eventually failed to win the knockout stages of the competition against winners of two other SSR Countries.[1]

Season League Pos Notes
1973 II, zone 4 12
1974 II, zone 3 9
1975 II, zone 1 10
1976 II, zone 1 13
1977 II, zone 4 12
1978 II, zone 4 8
1979 II, zone 4 2
1980 II, zone 9 1 Play-off, lost
1981 II, zone 9 2
1982 II, zone 9 2
1983 II, zone 9 4
1984 II, zone 9 4
1985 II, zone 9 10
1986 II, zone 9 7
1987 II, zone 9 1 Play-offs, lost
1988 II, zone 3 8
1989 II, zone 9 4

Below are the all-time results during the 17 consecutive seasons in the Soviet Second League.

M W D L GF–GA
626 300 121 205 992-813

Following the 1989 season, the Samtredian team as well as all other Georgian clubs withdrew from their relevant Soviet leagues after Georgian Football Federation broke ties with the Soviet Football Federation and formed an independent championship.

After Independence

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Early years

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Right after Georgia's independence, Sanavardo Samtredia became a member of the new national top tier, the Umaglesi Liga.

While twice, in 1993/94 and 1995/96, they finished in 4th, in 1994/1995 the club ended the season in 2nd which gave them qualification for the preliminary round of the UEFA Cup.

The debut in European competition turned out unsuccessful.[2] Soon they fell from the top flight followed by relegation from Pirveli Liga as well.

Recent Times

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In 2014/15 Samtredia reached the final of the David Kipiani Cup. In the previous rounds they had knocked out four opponents, including favourites Dinamo Batumi, Torpedo Kutaisi and Chikhura, but they weren't able to upset the odds again against Dinamo Tbilisi.[3]

The most fruitful period for Samtredia was in the mid-2010s, when they finished amongst the top three teams of Umaglesi Liga for three consecutive seasons. Moreover, in 2016, under head coach Giorgi Tsetsadze, they became champions for the first time in their history after a victory over Chikhura Sachkhere in the championship playoffs.[4] Samtredia completed the season with the double after they beat Georgian Cup holders Torpedo Kutaisi in the Super Cup game.[5]

In 2019, the club were in Liga 2, although they returned to the Erovnuli Liga after one season. Manager Kakhaber Kacharava, who guided Samtredia back to the top flight, had to quit the club in September 2020 after just one point earned in their last five league games and a shock cup defeat from Liga 3 minnows Tbilisi City.[6]

New head coach Giorgi Mikadze steered Samtredia away from the relegation zone, but in February 2021 he was replaced by Giorgi Tsetsadze, who had once brought the club to their only champion's title.[7] His second tenure lasted eight months, though. The team lost the relegation struggle and finished bottom of the table.[8]

Just like the previous case three years earlier, it took Samtredia a year to move back to the top flight. Under Giorgi Shashiashvili the team beat their rivals for a playoff spot and qualified for decisive matches for the third time in the last five years. Another victory over Sioni completed their successful league campaign in 2022.[9]

Seasons

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Domestic leagues

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Season Div Pos Top goalscorer Goals Cup
1990 1st 12/18 Round of 32
1991 1st 18/20
1991/92 1st 15/20 Round of 16
1992/93 1st 10/17 Round of 16
1993/94 1st 4/10 Round of 16
1994/95 1st 2/16 Gia Jishkariani 18 Quarterfinals
1995/96 1st 4/16 Zurab Ionanidze 23 Semifinals
1996/97 1st 14/16↓ Round of 16
1997/98 2nd 2/14 Quarterfinals
1998/99 1st 8/16 Round of 16
1999/2000 1st, Champ.Group 7/8 Round of 32
2000/01 1st 12/12 Round of 32
2001/02 2nd, Releg.Round 10/11 Round of 32
2002/03 2nd 16/16 Round of 32
2003/04 2nd 14/16 Round of 32
2007/08 2nd 8/10 1st Round
2008/09 2nd 1/11 Round of 16
2009/10 1st 7/10   Zaur Khachiperadze 11 Round of 16
2010/11 1st 10/10   Giga Kverenchkhiladze 4 Round of 32
2011/12 2nd, A Group 3/8   Papuna Shatirishvili 3 Round of 32
2012/13 2nd 5/12   Zaur Khachiperadze 9 Round of 16
2013/14 2nd 1/14   Zviad Kantaria 11 Round of 32
2014/15 1st 6/16   Tornike Kapanadze 7 Runners-up
2015/16 1st 2/16   Budu Zivzivadze 16 Quarterfinals
2016 1st 1/14   Budu Zivzivadze 11 Quarterfinals
2017 1st 3/10   Davit Rajamashvili 8 Round of 16
2018 1st 9/10   Giorgi Pantsulaia 6 Round of 16
2019 2nd 2/10   Guram Samushia 15 Round of 16
2020 1st 7/10   Nijat Gurbanov 4 Round of 16
2021 1st 10/10   Nikola Prelčec 4 Round of 32
2022 2nd 3/10   Dato Kirkitadze 8 Round of 32
2023 1st 9/10   Zurab Nachkebia   Aleksandar Mishov 8 Round of 32

European record

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Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1995–96 UEFA Cup PR   FK Vardar 0–2 0–1 0–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1QR   Gabala 2–1 1–5 3–6
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 2QR   Qarabag 0–1 0–5 0–6
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1QR   Tobol 0–1 0–2 0–3

Current squad

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As of 25 July 2024[10]

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   GEO Tornike Megrelishvili (on loan from Iberia 1999)
2 DF   GEO Lasha Kvaratskhelia
3 DF   GEO Zurab Gigashvili
4 DF   GEO Jemal Chachua
6 MF   GHA Daniel Owusu
7 MF   GEO Rati Ardazisvili
8 MF   ARG Eric Barrios
9 FW   GHA Joseph Amoako
10 FW   BRA Natan Baiano
11 FW   CMR Francois Ekongolo (on loan from Torpedo Kutaisi)
13 MF   GEO Lasha Parunashvili
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 DF   BRA Léo Assunpção
15 DF   GEO Giorgi Kveladze
17 DF   GEO Luka Elbakidze
18 MF   GEO Levan Khmaladze (captain)
20 DF   MKD Filip Boskovski
21 FW   ESP Inigo Martin
22 DF   ESP Jose Carrillo
24 FW   GEO Roin Odishelidze
25 GK   GEO Avtandil Labadze
30 MF   GEO Malkhaz Chitaishvili
38 MF   TJK Murodali Aknazarov
40 DF   GEO Davit Ubilava

Managers

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Notable players

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Born in Samtredia, Kаkha Kaladze began his football career at the age of 11 in FC Samtredia's junior team as a striker.

Honours

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League

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Sponsors

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Since 2019 Archi development company has been a general sponsor of FC Samtredia.[12]

Name

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Throughout their history Samtredia have also been named Lokomotivi, Sanavardo, Juba and Iberia[13] with the current name regained in 2006.

Samtredia literally means a place where pigeons reside and comes from Georgian word mtredi - pigeon.

References

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  1. ^ "Samtredia in 1970-80s". wildstat.com.
  2. ^ "Samtredia vs Vardar 1995 History". uefa.com.
  3. ^ "დინამო (თბ)-სამტრედია 5:0 - ძლევაი საკვირველი". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 27 May 2015.
  4. ^ "ფეხბურთი: "სამტრედია" საქართველოს ჩემპიონი გახდა". netgazeti.ge (in Georgian), 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ "სამტრედია - ტორპედო: პირველი სუპერთასი და პირველი დუბლი". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 27 February 2017.
  6. ^ "კახა კაჭარავამ "სამტრედია" დატოვა". fanebi.com (in Georgian), 23 September 2020.
  7. ^ "გია ცეცაძე: სამტრედიაში იმიტომ დავბრუნდი, რომ ეს ჩემი უსაყვარლესი გუნდია". 1tv.ge (in Georgian), 10 February 2021.
  8. ^ "სამტრედია შაშიაშვილმა ჩაიბარა". leadersport.ge (in Georgian). 14 February 2022.
  9. ^ "სამტრედია" ეროვნულ ლიგაში დაბრუნდა, "სიონი" ლიგა 2-ში გავარდა". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 11 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Players". erovnuliliga.ge. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  11. ^ Georgia – List of Champions – RSSSF
  12. ^ "არქი "სამტრედიას" გენერალური სპონსორი გახდა". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 17 September 2019.
  13. ^ "The history of FC Samtredia". fcsamtredia.com. 6 December 2015. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
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