FC Gareji Sagarejo

Established in 1960, during the Soviet period Gareji for many years participated in Georgian republican championship and later, after 1990, spent several seasons in the second and third divisions.

A recent rise of the team started from Regionuli Liga won by Gareji in 2018.

As winners of D Group East of the regional league, Gareji were promoted to the newly created Liga 4. They finished 3rd, outside of the promotion zone, which was still widely regarded as success for the debutants. Further events unfolded unexpectedly. After FC Tskhinvali failed to fulfill their financial obligations, they were expelled from Liga 3 and replaced by Gareji, which filled the vacuum as a 3rd placed team.[1]

Against all odds, the promoted team under head coach Tengiz Kobiashvili emerged among the third division leaders from the outset of the 2020 season and convincingly prevailed over their rivals in the promotion battle by winning 14 games out of 18.[2] With this achievement Gareji completed a remarkable journey from the fifth division to Liga 2 within the shortest period of time.

Once in the second league, for most of 2021 Gareji was still aiming at the promotion, competing with Merani Martvili for a third qualifying place. Ultimately the latter prevailed, although Gareji recorded some impressive victories, including 8-0, which was the biggest win of the season for any Liga 2 team.

In 2019 Gareji became a first ever 4th league team in Georgian football history to reach semifinals of the national Cup. The fact that head coach Davit Kokiashvili quit Gareji two days prior to the game may have affected the club,[3] but they offered Lokomotive Tbilisi a decent resistance during the entire match. Despite taking the lead after first 45 minutes, eventually Gareji lost 2–3, after conceding the third goal from a penalty spot.[4]

The next year Gareji were eliminated by Samgurali, the runners-up of the Cup.[5]

The team reached quarterfinals also in 2021 where they lost to Saburtalo in the dying minutes of the game.[6]

As of 7 August 2021[7]

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  UKR Bohdan Bezkrovnyi 2 DF  GEO Omar Bulukhadze 3 DF  GEO Nika Mekoshkishvili 5 DF  GEO Giorgi T.Tkeshelashvili 6 MF  GEO Nikoloz Nozadze 7 MF  COL Steven Bermudez 8 MF  GEO Giorgi Melkadze 9 MF  GEO Giorgi Enukidze 11 FW  GEO Giorgi E.Tkeshelashvili 12 DF  GEO Bichiko Gedenidze 13 MF  GEO Zura Dzamsashvili 14 MF  GEO Tornike Mosiashvili 15 MF  GEO Nika Galakhvaridze

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  GEO Guram Kharebava 18 MF  GEO Lasha Lezhava 20 FW  GEO Besik Chimakadze (C) 21 GK  GEO Guja Akhalkatsi 22 DF  GEO Vakhtang Kapanadze 23 MF  GEO Vazha Kikava 24 MF  GEO Nika Koniashvili 25 FW  GEO Nikoloz Khintibidze 27 DF  GEO Nikoloz Kurshavishvili 28 MF  GEO Giorgi Papuashvili 30 GK  GEO Nika Shermadini 33 MF  GEO Giorgi Kharebashvili

Gareji also have a reserve team, which participates in Group East of Regionuli Liga.[8]

Gareji's home arena is the Central stadium with the capacity of 2,000 seats, which sustained major reconstruction works in 2018.[9]

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