4 Oct 2027
Monday
Process
61 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Celso Castillo: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kolkheti have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

The wait goes on for Kolkheti

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Torpedo Kutaisi take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 8.93 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia has seen enough of Dinamo Batumi

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 3 appearances in 14 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

Back issues
60 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Bachana Mchedlidze is the real thing at 21

A season average of 7.18 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Kolkheti know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tord Salte

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Vakhtang Mikautadze has seen enough of Merani

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 5 appearances in 35 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Home is on Ori Shnaper's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Kolkheti are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

In brief

59 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Zurab Kashia asks to leave Kolkheti

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Kolkheti turn down Sioni for Giorgi Qazaishvili

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Kolkheti come up short against Dila

Dila left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yulian Iliev

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia has seen enough of Sapovnela

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 7 appearances in 33 say he has earned the hearing.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Giorgi Qazaishvili makes his debut at 17

At 17 years old, Giorgi Qazaishvili became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.

Squad

Khvicha Mchedlidze knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Khvicha Mchedlidze trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

58 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Kolkheti

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Kolkheti is running low.

Market

Arun Basuljevic hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Daniel Roca keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kolkheti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 9.18 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Market

Giorgi Qazaishvili attracts admirers

The name of Giorgi Qazaishvili has come up in conversations Kolkheti were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Player ratings

Bryan Marín runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Arun Basuljevic wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

In brief

57 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Valery Bulgakov puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Kolkheti find a way past Guria

Guria made Kolkheti work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dato Zivzivadze

Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Celso Castillo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Shota Gamsakhurdia stands above it all

Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.90 on the card, and the Kolkheti support went home talking about one name.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Dinamo Batumi runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

56 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Bachana Mchedlidze is the real thing at 21

A season average of 7.14 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Kolkheti know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Bachana Mchedlidze’s goal not enough for Kolkheti

Bachana Mchedlidze scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Chikhura, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 8.77 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Tord Salte gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Vakhtang Mikautadze counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Merani runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Khvicha Mchedlidze

Marked 5.68, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 10. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

In brief

55 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Zurab Kashia says Kolkheti went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Zugdidi take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

No hiding place for Shota Gamsakhurdia

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shota Gamsakhurdia, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sapovnela runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Lasha Kvaratskhelia is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.20 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

The Shota Gamsakhurdia talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kolkheti know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Player ratings

Off the pace: Ilian Antonov

A mark of 5.62 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.

In brief

54 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Zurab Kashia asks to leave Kolkheti

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Jakob Larsen signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jakob Larsen and Kolkheti agree another 4 years.

Match

Kolkheti find a way past Merani

Merani made Kolkheti work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 8.79 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Marked 8.40 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov in the eights

A performance of 8.33 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Dato Zivzivadze shuts the door

Defensive actions: 19, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Khvicha Mchedlidze gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

53 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Arun Basuljevic hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Match

5 matches without a win for Kolkheti

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Kolkheti are no longer polite ones.

Market

Kolkheti turn down Sioni for Giorgi Qazaishvili

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Jakob Larsen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jakob Larsen commits to Kolkheti for another 4 years.

Match

Saburtalo take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Artur Malievskiy

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

In brief

52 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Valery Bulgakov puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Abdulrahman Al-Dawsari says Kolkheti went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

The wait goes on for Kolkheti

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

At 21, Bachana Mchedlidze is already the best thing here

An average of 7.03 in a first team he is several years too young for. Kolkheti have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Match

Dinamo Tbilisi take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Loan watch

Vakhtang Mikautadze wants to come home

“I did not go to Merani to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 5 appearances in 27 matches say the rest.

In brief

51 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Only the photograph left for Vlad Moldovan

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Vlad Moldovan will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Kolkheti the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Kolkheti come up short against Tskhinvali

Tskhinvali left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Jakob Larsen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sapovnela runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Ori Shnaper wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

Yulian Iliev has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Kolkheti will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Market

The Shota Gamsakhurdia talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kolkheti know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

50 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Artur Malievskiy

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Zurab Kashia hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Valery Bulgakov

Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Kolkheti sell Levan Kashia for $27.0K

Levan Kashia has left for Samtredia in a $27.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dato Zivzivadze

Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Celso Castillo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Irakli Lobjanidze has seen enough of Alanyaspor

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 2 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

49 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Arun Basuljevic hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Arun Basuljevic: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kolkheti have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Levan Kashia attracts admirers

The name of Levan Kashia has come up in conversations Kolkheti were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Match

Kolkheti come up short against Sioni

Sioni left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

No hiding place for Tord Salte

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tord Salte, and the manager let it.

Squad

Home is on Arun Basuljevic's mind

“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Kolkheti are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Bachana Mchedlidze

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

In brief

48 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Valery Bulgakov asks to leave Kolkheti

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Torpedo Kutaisi come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Kolkheti did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Valery Bulgakov

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Remember the name: Bachana Mchedlidze

He is 21, he is averaging 7.01, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 8.83 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Kolkheti get the job done against Samtredia

A 1‑0 win over Samtredia, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

No hiding place for Shota Gamsakhurdia

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shota Gamsakhurdia, and the manager let it.

In brief

47 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Kolkheti turn down Torpedo Kutaisi for Davit Jikia

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Kolkheti come up short against Sapovnela

Sapovnela left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bryan Marín

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia has seen enough of Sapovnela

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 5 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Bachana Mchedlidze

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Yulian Iliev has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Kolkheti will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Player ratings

Shota Gamsakhurdia never got going

5.02 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.

Player ratings

The one thing Davit Jikia could not do

Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

In brief

46 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Artur Malievskiy

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Kolkheti turn down Tskhinvali for Lasha Kvaratskhelia

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Khvicha Mchedlidze keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kolkheti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Zurab Kashia puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Valery Bulgakov attracts admirers

The name of Valery Bulgakov has come up in conversations Kolkheti were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Valery Bulgakov

Marked 8.97 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Jakob Larsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jakob Larsen, and the manager let it.

In brief

45 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Dato Zivzivadze

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Valery Bulgakov

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

One of those days for Davit Jikia

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.84, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Davit Jikia the difference as Kolkheti beat Dinamo Batumi

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Davit Jikia. 1‑0 against Dinamo Batumi, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Yulian Iliev

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Avtandil Lobjanidze has seen enough of Shukura

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 1 appearances in 19 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

44 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Valery Bulgakov hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Match

8 matches without a win for Kolkheti

The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Kolkheti are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kolkheti against Dila

1‑2 to Dila, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No hiding place for Shota Gamsakhurdia

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shota Gamsakhurdia, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Bryan Marín

Marked 8.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Aleksandre Gvelesiani

27 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Loan watch

Vakhtang Mikautadze counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Merani runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

43 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

No end in sight to Kolkheti's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kolkheti has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 26, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dato Zivzivadze

Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Celso Castillo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sapovnela runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Match

No goals between Kolkheti and Shukura

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Shukura will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

42 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

The wait goes on for Kolkheti

6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Market

Zurab Kashia asks to leave Kolkheti

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dato Zivzivadze

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Jakob Larsen

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Irakli Lobjanidze wants to come home

“I did not go to Alanyaspor to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Squad

Ori Shnaper wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

Celso Castillo knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Celso Castillo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

41 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Kolkheti's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kolkheti has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ilian Antonov out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Ilian Antonov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Match

Chikhura take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

No hiding place for Tord Salte

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tord Salte, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Bachana Mchedlidze

Marked 8.42 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Aleksandre Okriashvili out for 28 days

The medical room confirms 28 days on the sidelines for Aleksandre Okriashvili, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Loan watch

Avtandil Lobjanidze wants to come home

“I did not go to Shukura to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 15 matches say the rest.

In brief

40 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Valery Bulgakov puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

The wait goes on for Kolkheti

4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Valery Bulgakov

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Arun Basuljevic wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

No hiding place for Arun Basuljevic

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Arun Basuljevic, and the manager let it.

Market

Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Dato Zivzivadze

A mark of 7.80, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Loan watch

Vakhtang Mikautadze wants to come home

“I did not go to Merani to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 15 matches say the rest.

In brief

39 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Abdulrahman Al-Dawsari hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Kolkheti come up short against Merani

Merani left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

No hiding place for Daniel Roca

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Roca, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia in the eights

A performance of 8.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia has seen enough of Sapovnela

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 3 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

Khvicha Mchedlidze asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Player ratings

A day to forget for Ori Shnaper

Marked 5.75, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.

Squad

The shirt belongs to Aleksandre Turkia now

At 20 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Kolkheti have a decision that made itself.

In brief

38 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Artur Malievskiy keeps Kolkheti in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Zurab Kashia puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kolkheti against Saburtalo

0‑1 to Saburtalo, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Shota Gamsakhurdia gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Bryan Marín

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

37 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kolkheti against Dinamo Tbilisi

0‑2 to Dinamo Tbilisi, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Tord Salte gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Costly mistake from Artur Malievskiy

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Artur Malievskiy knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Loan watch

Avtandil Lobjanidze wants to come home

“I did not go to Shukura to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 11 matches say the rest.

In brief

36 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Kolkheti out of the cup

Lokomotivi ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Market

Valery Bulgakov asks to leave Kolkheti

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Aleksandre Turkia: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kolkheti have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Daniel Roca signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Daniel Roca commits to Kolkheti for another 2 years.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia in the eights

A performance of 9.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Kolkheti find a way past Tskhinvali

Tskhinvali made Kolkheti work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Celso Castillo

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Bachana Mchedlidze

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

35 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kolkheti against Lokomotivi

1‑2 to Lokomotivi, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No hiding place for Jakob Larsen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jakob Larsen, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sapovnela runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Ori Shnaper wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

Celso Castillo asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

34 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 29, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dato Zivzivadze

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Marked 9.21 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Kolkheti see off Sioni

Three points for Kolkheti, 1‑0 the final word against Sioni in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Irakli Kashia

24 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

No hiding place for Arun Basuljevic

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Arun Basuljevic, and the manager let it.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Loan watch

Irakli Lobjanidze counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Alanyaspor runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

33 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Zurab Kashia puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

No end in sight to Kolkheti's wait for a win

5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kolkheti has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Bachana Mchedlidze in the eights

A performance of 8.60 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Artur Malievskiy gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

One of those days for Valery Bulgakov

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.29, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Lasha Kvaratskhelia

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.22, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Erick Torres wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Match

Kolkheti share the spoils with Samtredia

A 2‑2 draw with Samtredia leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

32 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Valery Bulgakov hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Lasha Kvaratskhelia

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

No end in sight to Kolkheti's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Kolkheti has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Davit Jikia signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Davit Jikia commits to Kolkheti for another 2 years.

Market

As if he never left: Levan Kashia returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Levan Kashia is a Kolkheti player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Market

Tornike Kakabadze comes home

The shirt still fits. Tornike Kakabadze is back at Kolkheti, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

As if he never left: Khvicha Arveladze returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Khvicha Arveladze is a Kolkheti player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tord Salte

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

31 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Khvicha Mchedlidze

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Arun Basuljevic wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Market

Still no ink between Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Kolkheti, another week without a signature from Artur Malievskiy.

Loan watch

Sandro Gamsakhurdia wants to come home

“I did not go to Sapovnela to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Avtandil Okriashvili

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

30 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Irakli Kashia out for 52 days

The medical room confirms 52 days on the sidelines for Irakli Kashia, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Bachana Kvaratskhelia out for 23 days

The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Bachana Kvaratskhelia, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

29 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Pietro Cattaneo gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Irakli Lobjanidze has seen enough of Alanyaspor

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kolkheti, and 0 appearances in 0 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

28 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Alexey Ivanov out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Alexey Ivanov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

The Irakli Lobjanidze conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Guria will make the call about Irakli Lobjanidze this week. Kolkheti have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

27 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Daniel Roca

28 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

A season on the outside for Artur Malievskiy

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Kolkheti has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

26 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Kolkheti say no — this time

The offer from Guria for Irakli Lobjanidze was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

Saba Qazaishvili signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Saba Qazaishvili and Kolkheti agree another 3 years.

Market

Davit Jikia linked with a move away

The name of Davit Jikia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kolkheti say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

No hiding place for Saba Qazaishvili

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saba Qazaishvili, and the manager let it.

In brief

25 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Business is business: Khvicha Mchedlidze goes

Sapovnela paid $84.0K and Kolkheti took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

Market

Kolkheti sell Beka Janelidze for $84.0K

Beka Janelidze has left for Sioni in a $84.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Squad

Erick Torres signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Erick Torres commits to Kolkheti for another 3 years.

Squad

Ori Shnaper wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Market

Kolkheti buy the years ahead of Saba Qazaishvili

He is 17, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.

In brief

24 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Abdulrahman Al-Dawsari wants to go home

“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Kolkheti know it.

Squad

Alexey Ivanov out for 45 days

The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Alexey Ivanov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

23 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Avtandil Okriashvili keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kolkheti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Daniel Roca

56 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

Beka Janelidze hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Arun Basuljevic signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Arun Basuljevic commits to Kolkheti for another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Merani join the queue for Irakli Lobjanidze

Add another name to the list: Merani have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Irakli Lobjanidze. The answer from Kolkheti has not changed — yet.

In brief

22 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Pietro Cattaneo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pietro Cattaneo, and the manager let it.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Khvicha Mchedlidze

101 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

21 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Daniel Roca gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Kolkheti lose Temur Kobiashvili

20 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

In brief

20 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Irakli Lobjanidze signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Irakli Lobjanidze and Kolkheti agree another 3 years.

Squad

Irakli Lobjanidze gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

19 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kolkheti lose Daniel Roca

84 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ori Shnaper signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ori Shnaper and Kolkheti agree another 3 years.

In brief

18 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Irakli Kashia

39 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Vlad Moldovan signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Vlad Moldovan commits to Kolkheti for another 1 years.

Boardroom

93% of the income goes out in wages at Kolkheti

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Market

Vlad Moldovan brings the grey hairs Kolkheti lacked

At 35, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.

Market

Davit Jikia linked with a move away

The name of Davit Jikia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kolkheti say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

17 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Bachana Tsitaishvili keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Kolkheti may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Temur Kobiashvili out for 48 days

The medical room confirms 48 days on the sidelines for Temur Kobiashvili, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

16 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Saba Shengelia: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kolkheti have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Aleksandre Okriashvili

34 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

In brief

15 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Kolkheti count the cost of losing Daniel Roca

112 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Kolkheti lose Elguja Grigalashvili

86 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

14 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Lasha Zivzivadze: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kolkheti have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy are talking past each other

“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.

Loan watch

Archil Qazaishvili wants to come home

“I did not go to Sapovnela to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kolkheti and fight for my place.” 7 appearances in 12 matches say the rest.

Boardroom

93% of the income goes out in wages at Kolkheti

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Pietro Cattaneo knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Pietro Cattaneo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

13 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Daniel Roca gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Franciszek Antkiewicz stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Franciszek Antkiewicz and Kolkheti agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

12 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Bachana Tsitaishvili gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Guram Gvelesiani knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Guram Gvelesiani trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

11 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Daniel Roca out for 142 days

The medical room confirms 142 days on the sidelines for Daniel Roca, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Kolkheti lose Elguja Grigalashvili

116 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

10 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Artur Malievskiy

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Artur Malievskiy, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Wages eat 128% of everything Kolkheti earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

In brief

9 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Bachana Tsitaishvili says Kolkheti went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Bryan Marín

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Torpedo Kutaisi take the points off Kolkheti

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Loan watch

Irakli Lobjanidze counts the days

“I watch every Kolkheti game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at AEL runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

8 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kolkheti lose Bachana Kvilitaia

16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

No hiding place for Daniel Roca

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Roca, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov in the eights

A performance of 8.42 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Lasha Kvaratskhelia

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.31, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Elguja Grigalashvili

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

7 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Khvicha Mchedlidze puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Khvicha Mchedlidze’s move to Sioni falls through

The deal that would have taken Khvicha Mchedlidze to Sioni has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Kolkheti with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.

Match

A bad afternoon for Kolkheti against Dila

1‑2 to Dila, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Davit Jikia

Marked 8.60 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Celso Castillo

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Guram Gvelesiani never got going

5.51 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.

Market

The Shota Gamsakhurdia question follows Kolkheti around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Shota Gamsakhurdia’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

In brief

6 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Tornike Kvaratskhelia hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Daniel Roca was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Davit Jikia in the eights

A performance of 9.06 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Kolkheti get the job done against Shukura

A 2‑1 win over Shukura, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

Elguja Grigalashvili in the eights

A performance of 8.78 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Tord Salte

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Tord Salte, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Wages eat 108% of everything Kolkheti earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Market

Talks stall between Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

Market

Sioni expected to open talks for Khvicha Mchedlidze

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Kolkheti will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

5 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Kolkheti sell their best player to Samtredia

$240.0K is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.

Market

Lasha Kiteishvili hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Match

4 matches without a win for Kolkheti

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Kolkheti are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Tord Salte in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Davit Jikia

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Davit Jikia, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Dato Zivzivadze shuts the door

Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Davit Jikia runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

Elguja Grigalashvili leaves them behind him

Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

Squad

Artur Malievskiy knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Artur Malievskiy trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

4 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Kolkheti out of the cup

Tskhinvali ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Market

Dato Chakvetadze puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Kolkheti turn down Sioni for Khvicha Mchedlidze

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Tord Salte was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Bachana Kvilitaia out for 44 days

The medical room confirms 44 days on the sidelines for Bachana Kvilitaia, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Elguja Grigalashvili gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Guram Gvelesiani

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Dato Zivzivadze

A mark of 7.43, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

Temur Gvelesiani signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Temur Gvelesiani and Kolkheti agree another 3 years.

In brief

3 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Kolkheti sell their best player to Torpedo Kutaisi

$260.0K is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.

Match

Vakhtang Mikautadze sends Kolkheti through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Vakhtang Mikautadze obliged against Chikhura. 1‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Kolkheti.

Market

Kolkheti turn down Samtredia for Otar Daraselia

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Dato Chakvetadze shuts the door

Defensive actions: 20, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Elguja Grigalashvili runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

One of those days for Valery Bulgakov

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.36, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Chikhura join the queue for Shota Mikautadze

Add another name to the list: Chikhura have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Shota Mikautadze. The answer from Kolkheti has not changed — yet.

Squad

No hiding place for Bachana Kvilitaia

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bachana Kvilitaia, and the manager let it.

In brief

2 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Saba Kashia puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Kolkheti, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Shukura come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Kolkheti did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Valery Bulgakov signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Valery Bulgakov commits to Kolkheti for another 3 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Kolkheti

Davit Jikia was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Saba Kashia the difference as Kolkheti beat Merani

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Saba Kashia. 2‑1 against Merani, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Elguja Grigalashvili in the eights

A performance of 8.68 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Lasha Kvaratskhelia

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.57, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Bachana Mchedlidze

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Talks stall between Kolkheti and Artur Malievskiy

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

1 Edition

The Kolkheti Sentinel

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Otar Daraselia hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kolkheti can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Pietro Cattaneo signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pietro Cattaneo commits to Kolkheti for another 2 years.

Squad

Davit Jikia in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Kolkheti this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Tornike Kvaratskhelia sends Kolkheti past Saburtalo

It finished 1‑0, and it was Tornike Kvaratskhelia’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Kolkheti.

Player ratings

Lasha Kvaratskhelia in the eights

A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Pietro Cattaneo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Pietro Cattaneo, and the manager let it.

Market

Dato Chakvetadze is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Kolkheti has been clear about where Dato Chakvetadze stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Valery Bulgakov asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Player ratings

Valery Bulgakov shuts the door

Defensive actions: 14, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

In brief