FC Borjomi (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი ბორჯომი) is a Georgian football club based in Borjomi. They compete in Liga 3, the third tier of the Georgian football system.

FC Borjomi
Full nameFC Borjomi
Founded1936
GroundJemal Zeinklishvili Stadium
Borjomi, Georgia
Capacity4,000
ChairmanKoba Tediashvili
ManagerKonstantine Asanidze
LeagueLiga 3
202412th of 16 in Liga 3

The team has spent four seasons in the top flight.

Their home ground is the Jemal Zeinklishvili Stadium.

History

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Founded in 1936, FC Borjomi participated in the Georgian regional championship for many years.

From 1993/94 they spent several seasons in the second and third division. In 2004/05 Borjomi finished 2nd in Liga 2[1] and got promoted to Umaglesi Liga, where the club competed for four seasons.

The fifth place in 2005/06 is the best result Borjomi have achieved in Georgian leagues. It is noteworthy that the club won 14 home games out of 15, including against the top three leaders.[2]

In the 2007/08 season Borjomi won the group stage of David Kipiani Cup and reached the semifinals,[3] but the next year the club finished in the bottom place and quit the league.

A few years later Borjomi experienced some significant revival. Having convincingly won the third division in 2014, the next year team achieved great progress towards the return to the top league. As the runners-up, they booked a place for promotion play-off game against Lokomotive Tbilisi. This dramatic final match ended 3-3 and the winner of the tie was determined after the penalty shoot-out.[4]

Shortly some harsh times followed with two relegations within four seasons. Borjomi sank to a low ebb in 2019 when they failed to preserve a place in the third division.[5] Аs a result, the head coach was replaced and 90% of players parted ways with the club.[6]

In 2021, the club won the first stage of Liga 4 competition, qualified for the Promotion Group and managed to advance back to the third league from the third place.[7]

Seasons

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Season League Pos. P W D L GF GA Pts Cup
1993/94 Pirveli Liga East 13 34 12 5 17 48 59 41
1994/95 Pirveli Liga East 10 30 9 4 17 47 70 31
1995/96 Pirveli Liga East 19 36 5 4 27 31 78 19
1996/97 Pirveli Liga East 7 38 21 4 13 51 52 67 2nd Round
1998/99 Pirveli Liga East 9 26 9 2 15 36 42 29 Preliminary Round
2000/01 Pirveli Liga 7 22 8 5 9 22 19 29
Relegation Round 2 10 5 2 3 12 8 32
2001/02 Pirveli Liga 12 22 2 1 19 16 68 7
2002/03 Regionuli Liga Centre
2003/04 Regionuli Liga Centre
2004/05 Pirveli Liga 2 30 22 3 5 74 36 69 1st round
2005/06 Umaglesi Liga 5 30 19 2 9 50 26 59 Quarterfinals
2006/07 10 26 8 6 12 29 35 30 Quarterfinals
2007/08 9 26 9 4 13 32 39 31 Semifinals
2008/09 11 30 2 7 21 21 85 13 Round of 32
2013/14 Meore Liga 1 30 24 5 1 107 25 77
2014/15 Pirveli Liga, B 2 30 16 6 14 40 43 54
2015/16 Pirveli Liga 4 34 17 10 7 45 32 61
2016 Pirveli Liga 3 16 8 1 7 22 17 22 2nd Round
2017 Liga 3 White 4 18 7 7 4 22 17 28 2nd Round
Relegation Group 3 18 8 6 4 30 21 30
2018 Liga 3 7 38 18 7 13 66 56 61 1st Round
2019 Liga 3 9 36 12 3 21 30 57 39 Round of 32
2020 Liga 4 Red Group 3 14 7 2 5 27 13 21 2nd Round
2021 Liga 4 Red Group 1 18 13 3 2 46 16 42 2nd Round
Promotion Group 3 18 11 3 4 30 19 36
2022 Liga 3 8 30 12 5 13 47 40 41 1st Round
2023 11 30 11 2 17 50 78 35 2nd Round
2024 12 30 8 4 18 31 58 28 3rd Round

Current squad

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As of 12 March 2024

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
1 GK   GEO Saba Gelashvili
3 DF   GEO Lasha Jincharashvili
4 DF   NGA Chinedu Nwoloki
6 DF   GEO Mikheil Gabadze
7 FW   GEO Guram Shetsiruli
8 MF   GEO Sandro Kvantidze
9 FW   GEO Saba Martiashvili
10 MF   GEO Bachana Beruchashvili
No. Pos. Nation Player
11 MF   GEO Tornike Muzashvili
13 DF   GEO Davit Udumashvili
14 FW   GEO Giorgi Paksashvili
16 GK   GEO Saba Shalikashvili
19 DF   GEO Temur Iluridze
20 MF   GEO Mikheil Kochakidze
21 MF   GEO Saba Nadiradze
24 FW   GEO Mikheil Acharadze
25 DF   GEO Vano Kurdghelashvili (C)

Managers

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Name Nat. From To
Koba Tediashvili   2018 2019
Malkhaz Latsabidze   2020 2022
Gocha Avsajanishvili   2022 2022
Giorgi Macharadze   2023 2023
Malkhaz Latsabidze   2023 2023
Konstantine Asanidze   2023

Honours

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Erovnuli Liga 2

Stadium

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The club's home ground is a stadium named after Borjomi-born player Jemal Zeinklishvili, who was a member of Dinamo Tbilisi squad during their victorious season in the Soviet Top league in 1964.

The arena was announced unfit for hosting official matches in 2020, which forced the local municipal authorities to unveil reconstruction plans.[8] In March 2024, an eighteen-month rehabilitation project was announced.[9]

For this reason, since 2021 the team has been using other football grounds such as Mtskheta Park and the Grigol Jomartidze stadium for their home games.

Name

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Between 1936 and 2004 - FC Tori Borjomi

Since 2004 - FC Borjomi

The term Tori comes from a medieval name of the region where Borjomi and surrounding areas are situated.

FC Tori, another football club based in Borjomi, competed in Regionuli Liga between 2016 and 2022.

References

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  1. ^ "FC Borjomi in 2004/05". wildstat.com.
  2. ^ "Borjomi in 2005/06 season". wildstat.
  3. ^ "David Kipiani Cup 2007-08". soccerway.com.
  4. ^ ""ლოკომოტივმა" უმაღლესს დაუმიზნა". sportall.ge (in Georgian), 25 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Liga 3 in 2019". gff.ge.
  6. ^ "'ფეხბურთელების 90% დავითხოვეთ' - რა ბედი ეწევა კლუბ 'ბორჯომს'". sknews.ge (in Georgian), 31 January 2020.
  7. ^ "ბორჯომი ლიგა 3-ში აღზევდა და ეროვნულ ლიგა 2-ში გადასასვლელად იბრძოლებს". adjarasport.com (in Georgian), 30 November 2021.
  8. ^ ""სტადიონი ამორტიზებულია" – "ბორჯომი" ლიგის საშინაო მატჩებს მცხეთაში გამართავსა". sknews.ge (in Georgian), 12 August 2020.
  9. ^ "ბორჯომში ჯემალ ზეინკლიშვილის სახელობის ცენტრალური საფეხბურთო მოედნის სრული რეაბილიტაცია იწყება". bpn.ge. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
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