The Samtredia Chronicle
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Raul Baratelia, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 8.05
A mark of 8.05 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Carlos Philipe arrives at the club he grew up with
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Carlos Philipe has, at Samtredia, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Emmanuel Boansi turns down Samtredia
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Dila keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Samtredia
Eric Barrios and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The terraces10 Aug 2026
Samtredia supporters have found a favourite in Raul Baratelia
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 21-year-old it feels ownership of. Raul Baratelia has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Saba Kobiashvili joins the Samtredia first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Saba Kobiashvili is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Nika Lobjanidze joins the Samtredia first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Nika Lobjanidze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
Goga Qazaishvili steps up from the Samtredia academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Goga Qazaishvili has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
One of our own: Sandro Mikautadze joins the Samtredia first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Sandro Mikautadze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Squad Carlos Philipe stays put
- Transfer targets Samtredia try to borrow Beka Gvelesiani
- Match Raul Baratelia rescues a point for Samtredia