 | |||
| Full name | Football Club Gagra | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2004; 21 years ago (2004) | ||
| Ground | David Petriashvili Arena,Tbilisi,Georgia | ||
| Capacity | 2,500 | ||
| President | Besik Chikhradze | ||
| Manager | Željko Ljubenović | ||
| League | Erovnuli Liga | ||
| 2024 | 8th of 10 | ||
FC Gagra (Georgian:საფეხბურთო კლუბი გაგრა) is aGeorgian professionalfootball club which competes in theErovnuli Liga, the first tier ofGeorgian football.
The club has its origins inGagra,Abkhazia. It was founded in Tbilisi by former player and coach Goderdzi Chikhradze and his cousin in 2004 with a plan to move the club toGagra in the end,[1] but due to the ongoingAbkhazia conflict the team plays its home games in Tbilisi.
FC Gagra is the only non-top flight Georgian team which has twice won thenational cup.
The new club was formed as FC Gagra in 2004 inRegionuli Liga, where they won promotion toPirveli Liga.After winning their second-tier division, Gagra lost the promotion play-off in 2005–06 and 2006–07. In 2007–08, they again lost the promotion play-off, but after some withdrawals in theUmaglesi Liga the team was finally promoted.[2]In the 2008–09 season, the team played in the top league,[3] but were to be relegated in the end.[4] Gagra avoided relegation only after higher placed teams withdrew from the league.[5]
Gagra won the2010–11 Pirveli Liga season,[6] and became the winner of the Georgian Cup by defeating three-time winnersTorpedo Kutaisi 1–0 after extra time.[7]
In every season since their relegation to Liga 2 in 2012, Gagra were considered tough rivals aiming at the first division with 5th place being the worst final position. Overall, the club took part inErovnuli Liga playoffs six times in sixteen years, although failed to overcome their opponents until 2021 when they beatShukura and returned to the top flight after a ten-year absence.[8]
Gagra's performance in theDavid Kipiani Cup was successful. As a second-division team, they reached the final in 2018 for the second time only to lose in penalty shootout. Two years later, though, they knocked out five clubs, including some of those regarded as contenders for the title, and won the cup without conceding a single goal in 630 minutes.[9]
As a three-time finalist and two-time winner of the Cup final within these 10 years,[10] Gagra achieved one of the best results among Georgian clubs.
Тhe 2023 season was noteworthy for Gagra. First, they achieved their best results in the top division and for the first time sealed their league place for a third successive year. Besides, forwardZurab Museliani, who netted 17 goals, finished among the three top scorers of the season.[11] Gagra's junior team also shined. Although they made a debut in thefifth division, the team won the title race and gained automatic promotion toLiga 4.[12]
| Season | League | Georgian Cup | Europe | Top goalscorer | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Name | League | |||
| 2005/06 | 2nd | 3[a] | 34 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 49 | 22 | 68 | Round of 16 | - | ||
| 2006/07 | 2nd | 3[b] | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 52 | 36 | 60 | First round | - | ||
| 2007/08 | 2nd East | 1↑[c] | 27 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 36 | 54 | First round | - | ||
| 2008/09 | 1st | 9 | 30 | 7 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 48 | 28 | Round of 32 | - | ||
| 2009/10 | 1st | 10↓ | 36 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 30 | 59 | 24 | Round of 16 | - | Giorgi Gabedava | 10 |
| 2010/11 | 2nd | 1↑ | 32 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 73 | 19 | 75 | Winners | - | ||
| 2011/12 | 1st | 10↓ | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 35 | 53 | 34 | Semi-final | EL -2Q | Levan Sharikadze | 5 |
| 2012/13 | 2nd | 4 | 33 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 63 | 46 | 53 | Round of 16 | - | John Jeremiah | 20 |
| 2013/14 | 2nd | 4 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 44 | 25 | 42 | First round | - | Gogita Gogatishvili | 10 |
| 2014/15 | 2nd | 3 | 35 | 15 | 5 | 15 | 59 | 44 | 50 | First round | - | Nika Tsotskhalashvili | 8 |
| 2015/16 | 2nd | 5 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 14 | 54 | 38 | 52 | - | - | Nika Magrakvelidze | 13 |
| 2016 | 2nd | 2 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 21 | 28 | First round | - | Levan Papava | 13 |
| 2017 | 2nd | 5 | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 46 | 38 | 53 | Fifth round | - | Nikoloz Khintibidze | 15 |
| 2018 | 2nd | 3[d] | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 41 | 58 | Runners-Up | - | Rati Tsatskrialashvili | 16 |
| 2019 | 2nd | 5 | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 46 | 42 | 47 | Round of 16 | - | Zviad Metreveli | 5 |
| 2020 | 2nd | 3[e] | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 24 | 10 | 29 | Winners | - | Giorgi Ivaniadze | 5 |
| 2021 | 2nd | 2↑[f] | 36 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 74 | 27 | 75 | Round of 8 | CL 1Q | Tamaz Makatsaria | 23 |
| 2022 | 1st | 9[g] | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 57 | 36 | Round of 32 | Tamaz Makatsaria, Teimuraz Shonia | 6 | |
| 2023 | 1st | 7 | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 47 | 65 | 38 | Round of 32 | Zurab Museliani | 17 | |
| 2024 | 1st | 8[h] | 36 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 36 | 53 | 38 | Semifinals | Giorgi Kharebashvili | 11 | |
As the winners of the 2010/11 Cup competition, Gagra took part inUEFA Europa League second qualifying round against the high-flyingAnorthosis Famagusta. Widely regarded as favorites of the tie, theCypriot side had a clear advantage inLarnaca, which resulted in 3–0 victory,[13] but Gagra fought back in the second leg held inZestaponi. They scored an early goal, shortly afterwards increased the lead, although eventually failed to equalize the aggregate score.[14]
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Europa League | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 2nd qualifying round |  Anorthosis Famagusta | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 |
| 2021–22 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1st qualifying round |  Sutjeska Nikšić | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Željko Ljubenović |
| Assistant head coach | Giorgi Tkeshelashvili |
| Zviad Metreveli | |
| Goalkeeping coach | Irakli Shengelia |
| Fitness coach | Khvicha Khorava |
| Office | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Besik Chikhradze |
| Executive chairman | Victoria Durglishvili |
| Technical Director | Davit Gelashvili |
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 2010– | PUMA | Sandora |
Kakhi Karanadze (2004–2009)
Viktor Kashchey (2009)Vladimer Khachidze (2009–2010)Anatoliy Piskovets (2010–2011)Varlam Kilasonia (2011)Zviad Jeladze (2011–2012)Tengiz Sichinava (2014)Anatoliy Piskovets (2015–2017)Denys Khomutov (2017–2018) Gaga Kirkitadze (2019–2023)Giorgi Oniani (2023–2025)
Željko Ljubenović (2025–)Georgian national team memberTornike Okriashvili started his career as a professional player in this club in 2009–10,[16] before moving toShakhtar Donetsk on loan.
