Dinamo Zugdidi

FC Dinamo Zugdidi is a defunct Georgian football club based in Zugdidi. In 2023, after being accused of match-fixing and expelled from the Erovnuli Liga 2 the previous season, the club took part in Liga 4 and stopped functioning following their relegation to Regionuli Liga.^[1]

Dinamo Zugdidi

Full name	FC Dinamo Zugdidi
Founded	1918; 107 years ago (1918)
Dissolved	2023
Ground	Central Stadium Ganarjiis Mukhuri, Georgia
Capacity	2,000
Home colours Away colours

History

The club was founded in 1918 as Odishi Zugdidi.

In 1990, FC Odishi Zugdidi were promoted for the first time to the Umaglesi Liga, the top division of Georgian football. In the 1998–99 season they finished 15th and were relegated to the Pirveli Liga. Ahead of the 2001–02 season the club changed its name to FC Lazika Zugdidi and the following season the club won promotion back to the Umaglesi Liga.

Ahead of the 2003–04 season, FC Lazika Zugdidi merged with FC Spartaki Tbilisi, a Pirveli Liga club. During the winter break, FC Spartak-Lazika Zugdidi relocated to Tbilisi and renamed themselves to FC Spartaki Tbilisi. The fusion was later undone and the now independent club changed its name to FC Zugdidi.

In July 2006, FC Zugdidi and FC Mglebi Zugdidi, a Regionuli Liga club, merged. The club continued to perform in the Pirveli League but was renamed FC Mglebi Zugdidi. In the season 2006–07, they won the league and returned to the Umaglesi Liga.

They renamed themselves to FC Baia Zugdidi in 2009. Later, ahead of the 2012–13 season, FC Baia Zugdidi changed their name to FC Zugdidi. In 2016, when the last season of Umaglesi Liga was held before its rebranding as Erovnuli Liga, the club lost a relegation battle.^[2] A year later, Zugdidi dropped out of the 2nd division as well.^[3]

In January 2018, the Zugdidi City Council approved a deal between the city municipality and football manager Zaza Janashia, who purchased 100% share of the club at auction.^[4] Zugdidi managed to secure automatic promotion from Liga 3 after winning the league with a five-point margin.^[5] In December 2019, the club announced in a written statement that they would be renamed again as FC Dinamo Zugdidi.^[6]

In the 2022 season, they, alongside Shevardeni-1906, were accused of match fixing and expelled to Liga 4, the fourth division of Georgian football.^[7]

The team finished bottom of the table in 2023 before suspending their football activities.

Name History

• 1918–??: Odishi Zugdidi (Georgian: ოდიში ზუგდიდი)
• 1964–65: Engurhesi Zugdidi
• 1965–73: Inguri Zugdidi
• 1974–90: Dinamo Zugdidi
• 1990–94: Odishi Zugdidi
• 1994–95: Dinamo Zugdidi
• 1995–96: Dinamo-Odishi Zugdidi
• 1996–99: Odishi Zugdidi
• 2000–01: Dinamo Zugdidi
• 2001–03: Lazika Zugdidi
• 2003: Spartak-Lazika Zugdidi
• 2004: Dinamo Zugdidi
• 2004–06: FC Zugdidi
• 2006–09: Mglebi Zugdidi
• 2009–12: Baia Zugdidi
• 2012–20: FC Zugdidi
• 2020–: Dinamo Zugdidi

Seasons

As Odishi / Dinamo

Season	League	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GF	GA	P	Cup	Notes	Manager
1998–99	Umaglesi Liga	15	30	6	2	22	21	70	20		Relegated
1999-00	Pirveli Liga
2000–01	Pirveli Liga										Relegated
2001–02	Regionuli Liga West
2002–03	Regionuli Liga West
2003–04	Regionuli Liga West
2004–05	Regionuli Liga West
2005–06	Regionuli Liga West
2006–07	Regionuli Liga West

As Baia / Mglebi / FC Zugdidi

Season	League	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	Cup	Europe	Notes	Manager
2005–06	Pirveli Liga	12	34	12	7	15	24	33	43	Round of 32		FC Zugdidi
2006–07		1	34	24	4	6	58	24	76	1st Round		Mglebi Zugdidi
2007–08	Umaglesi Liga	7	26	10	3	13	27	33	33	Round of 16		Mglebi Zugdidi
2008–09		7	30	10	6	14	36	41	36	Round of 32		Mglebi Zugdidi
2009–10		8	36	7	11	18	29	48	32	Quarter-finals		Baia Zugdidi
2010–11		6	36	13	5	18	36	51	44	Round of 16		Baia Zugdidi
2011–12		7	28	5	7	16	25	49	22	Quarter-finals		Baia Zugdidi
2012–13		6	32	10	6	16	31	52	36	Round of 16		FC Zugdidi

As Baia Zugdidi (reserves)

Season	League	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GF	GA	P	Cup	Europe	Notes	Manager
2008–09	Pirveli Liga	2	30	19	6	5	58	20	63	Round of 16		Promoted

Honours

• Georgian Soviet Championship

Champion: 1964, 1973 ^[8]

• Georgian Soviet Cup

Champion: 1973, 1984

• Pirveli Liga

Champion: 2003, 2007

Silver Medal winner: 2009

Current squad

As of August 2019^[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 FW  RSA Melkisedek Tsvale 3 DF  GEO Saba Nadiradze 4 DF  NGA Lukman Gilmori 5 DF  GEO Papuna Mosemgvdlishvili 7 FW  GEO Arvelod Khunjgurua 8 MF  GEO Data Kiria 9 MF  GEO Nukri Chkadua 10 MF  GEO Luka Guguchia 11 MF  GEO Archil Meskhi 13 MF  GEO Irakli Klimiashvili 14 MF  GEO Gigla Burkadze 15 DF  GEO Mikheil Rukhaia

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 DF  GEO Boris Makharadze 19 MF  GEO Irakli Bigvava 20 MF  GEO Karlo Jikidze 21 MF  GEO Saba Danelia 22 DF  GEO Guram Mindorashvili 24 GK  GEO Vakhtang Jomidava 27 MF  GEO Giga Tsurtsumia 30 GK  GEO Soso Kardava 31 DF  GEO Tornike Jimsheleishvili 37 MF  RUS Nikoloz Berishvili 40 MF  GEO Bachana Chedia

Managers

• Herbert Zanker (Jul 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009)
• Elguja Kometiani (Dec 17, 2009 – Dec 27, 2011)
• Gocha Tkebuchava (Jan 6, 2012 – May 15, 2012)
• Elguja Kometiani (May 15, 2012 – June 30, 2013)
• Klimenti Tsitaishvili (Aug 1, 2013 – Nov 10, 2013)
• Sergo Gabelaia (Nov 14–19, 2013)
• Giorgi Daraselia (Nov 19, 2014 – June 1, 2014)
• Nestor Mumladze (Aug 1, 2014 – Oct 20, 2014)
• Besik Sherozia (Oct 21, 2014 – Nov 14, 2015)
• Yuriy Bakalov (Jan 11, 2016 – Aug 2016)
• Otar Gabelia (Aug 2016 – Aug 2016)
• Volodymyr Lyutyi (since Aug 2016)

Women's team

The women's team participated in the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round, where it lost all three matches.