From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Jul 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Saburtalo may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad12 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Jul 2027
1‑3 to Chikhura, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Nika Mchedlidze
“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 watch12 Jul 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 1 appearances in 24 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad12 Jul 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Shots: 7, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings12 Jul 2027
Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Jul 2027
Davit Gotsiridze: 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.” Saburtalo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Yiğit Efe Demir 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 ratings5 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“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 ratings5 Jul 2027
Defensive actions: 18. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad5 Jul 2027
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Saburtalo will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Loan watch5 Jul 2027
“I watch every Saburtalo game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sioni runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings5 Jul 2027
Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Market5 Jul 2027
Lasha Kashia is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Saburtalo has been clear about where Lasha Kashia stands, which is more than many ever get.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match23 Jun 2027
Torpedo Kutaisi ended it 2‑2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad28 Jun 2027
There were 7 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.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad28 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“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.
Match26 Jun 2027
Merani made Saburtalo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
It was his to settle and he did not settle it. A long walk back to the halfway line, and a considerably longer week.
Loan watch28 Jun 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 7 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings28 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Jun 2027
There were 6 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.
Market21 Jun 2027
The chase for Davit Gotsiridze ended with $420.0K changing hands and Dila out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Squad21 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market21 Jun 2027
Samtredia pay $17.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Match19 Jun 2027
Dila made Saburtalo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad21 Jun 2027
24 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings21 Jun 2027
Defensive actions: 18, 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 ratings21 Jun 2027
Marked 7.95 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Saburtalo had the best player on the pitch.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market14 Jun 2027
The chase for Lasha Menteshashvili ended with $640.0K changing hands and Dila out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Market14 Jun 2027
Saburtalo say no — this time
The offer from Merani for Nika Janelidze 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.
Match12 Jun 2027
No end in sight to Saburtalo's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Saburtalo has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Market14 Jun 2027
Chikhura pay $84.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Loan watch14 Jun 2027
“I did not go to Sioni to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 20 matches say the rest.
Player ratings14 Jun 2027
Marked 8.14 — 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.
Match12 Jun 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Squad7 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Tedo Kikabidze
“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.
Match5 Jun 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market7 Jun 2027
The phone has started ringing about Nika Janelidze again, and this time the name on the line is Merani. Saburtalo are listening politely and promising nothing.
Loan watch7 Jun 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 2 appearances in 20 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad7 Jun 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Mamuka Arveladze. Saburtalo will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Levan Zivzivadze trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings7 Jun 2027
A mark of 5.27 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings31 May 2027
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.
Squad31 May 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Match29 May 2027
Lokomotivi left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Loan watch31 May 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 5 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Loan watch31 May 2027
The goals keep arriving from Tornike Mikautadze’s exile
7 goals in 11 games at Sapovnela — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Saburtalo updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Squad31 May 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 May 2027
The medical room confirms 55 days on the sidelines for Mamuka Kvaratskhelia, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings24 May 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Loan watch24 May 2027
“I watch every Saburtalo 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.
Player ratings24 May 2027
The afternoon belonged to César Aponte
A mark of 7.64, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Player ratings24 May 2027
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.
Squad24 May 2027
“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.
Match22 May 2027
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Sioni will be the happier side with the point.
Market24 May 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Beka Dartsmelia signs something — a contract at Saburtalo or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad17 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match15 May 2027
It finished 2‑0, and it was Khvicha Qazaishvili’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Saburtalo.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Marked 8.38 — 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 ratings17 May 2027
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.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 1 appearances in 16 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings17 May 2027
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad17 May 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Nika Janelidze commits to Saburtalo for another 3 years.
Squad17 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saba Akhalkatsi, and the manager let it.
Loan watch17 May 2027
The goals keep arriving from Tornike Mikautadze’s exile
6 goals in 9 games at Sapovnela — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Saburtalo updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces10 May 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 7 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad10 May 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mamuka Arveladze and Saburtalo agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 May 2027
23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match8 May 2027
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings10 May 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.01, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nika Mchedlidze, and the manager let it.
Boardroom10 May 2027
Nobody left the Saburtalo dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 May 2027
Whatever happens, Saburtalo do not lose
14 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 31. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market3 May 2027
“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.
Squad3 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 May 2027
Defensive actions: 22, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad3 May 2027
“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 watch3 May 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 3 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Match1 May 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Torpedo Kutaisi defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Player ratings3 May 2027
5.78 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad26 Apr 2027
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.
Match24 Apr 2027
Whatever happens, Saburtalo do not lose
13 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Match24 Apr 2027
Dinamo Batumi made Saburtalo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.70, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Marked 8.14 — 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.
Loan watch26 Apr 2027
“I watch every Saburtalo 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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
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.
Market26 Apr 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Beka Dartsmelia signs something — a contract at Saburtalo or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match17 Apr 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Saburtalo did not have in the autumn.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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 ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mamuka Kobiashvili and Saburtalo agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“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 watch19 Apr 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
Match17 Apr 2027
Point won or two lost for Saburtalo?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Kolkheti? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Market19 Apr 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Levan Zivzivadze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match10 Apr 2027
Still nobody has beaten Saburtalo
The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad12 Apr 2027
56 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad12 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
A defender's afternoon for César Aponte
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
A performance of 9.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match10 Apr 2027
It finished 2‑0, and it was Otar Gamsakhurdia’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Saburtalo.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Marked 8.17 — 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.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
“I did not go to Sioni to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 12 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match31 Mar 2027
A 2‑1 win over Kolkheti, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match3 Apr 2027
Still nobody has beaten Saburtalo
The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad5 Apr 2027
César Aponte 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 Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch5 Apr 2027
“I did not go to Sioni to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
A performance of 8.70 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of César Aponte
“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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
37 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The captaincy has been taken off Levan Zivzivadze. Saburtalo will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Mar 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Saburtalo did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch29 Mar 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 0 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.
Match27 Mar 2027
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mamuka Kvilitaia, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match20 Mar 2027
Whatever happens, Saburtalo do not lose
7 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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 ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.50 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mamuka Kobiashvili, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Mamuka Arveladze knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Loan watch22 Mar 2027
“I did not go to Sapovnela to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Match20 Mar 2027
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad22 Mar 2027
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Saburtalo have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Mar 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Saburtalo did not have in the autumn.
Match13 Mar 2027
A 1‑0 win over Merani, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
A defender's afternoon for César Aponte
Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“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 watch15 Mar 2027
“I did not go to Sapovnela to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 8 matches say the rest.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Mar 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Beka Dartsmelia and Saburtalo agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market8 Mar 2027
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Kakha Arveladze is a Saburtalo player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market8 Mar 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market8 Mar 2027
The shirt still fits. Nika Janelidze is back at Saburtalo, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market8 Mar 2027
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Khvicha Kobiashvili is a Saburtalo player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad8 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of César Aponte
“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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Sandro Kobiashvili, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Loan watch1 Mar 2027
“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 Saburtalo, and 0 appearances in 6 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Saburtalo would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market1 Mar 2027
The name of Beka Dartsmelia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Saburtalo say nothing, which says plenty.
Market1 Mar 2027
10 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Squad1 Mar 2027
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at Saburtalo the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Feb 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
“I watch every Saburtalo 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Saburtalo would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saburtalo, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Feb 2027
The medical room confirms 98 days on the sidelines for Sandro Kobiashvili, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad8 Feb 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Saburtalo has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“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.
Market1 Feb 2027
The name of Beka Dartsmelia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Saburtalo say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Saburtalo can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market25 Jan 2027
Irakli Chakvetadze has left for Chikhura in a $210.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saburtalo, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market25 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Levan Zivzivadze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Saburtalo is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Market18 Jan 2027
Chikhura pay $84.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market18 Jan 2027
Chikhura paid $22.0K and Saburtalo took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Lasha Kashia 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 Saburtalo will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
Zugdidi paid $28.0K and Saburtalo took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Market11 Jan 2027
Shukura pay $6.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market11 Jan 2027
The phone has started ringing about Saba Tsitaishvili again, and this time the name on the line is Chikhura. Saburtalo are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad11 Jan 2027
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
Saburtalo say no — this time
The offer from Sioni for Irakli Chakvetadze 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Tedo Kikabidze 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
This league is too small for Tedo Kikabidze
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Saburtalo will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saba Akhalkatsi, and the manager let it.
Market4 Jan 2027
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Lasha Qazaishvili has his answer from Saburtalo; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Market4 Jan 2027
The name of Beka Dartsmelia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Saburtalo say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
César Aponte 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 Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market28 Dec 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Levan Zivzivadze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Lasha Kashia and Saburtalo agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saburtalo, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Dato Kiteishvili and Saburtalo agree another 3 years.
Squad14 Dec 2026
27 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
The medical room confirms 21 days on the sidelines for Leonardo Terán, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad7 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nika Mchedlidze and Saburtalo agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad30 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
95% of the income goes out in wages at Saburtalo
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saburtalo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Nov 2026
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saburtalo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Loan watch16 Nov 2026
“I watch every Saburtalo game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Lokomotivi runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Market16 Nov 2026
Experience through the door at Saburtalo
Abdulla Sultan arrives at 40 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Shots: 5. 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Saburtalo has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
53 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad9 Nov 2026
César Aponte 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.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I watch every Saburtalo game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sioni runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“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.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
95% of the income goes out in wages at Saburtalo
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Saburtalo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mamuka Kobiashvili, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Oct 2026
“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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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 ratings19 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lasha Kashia and Saburtalo agree another 3 years.
Loan watch19 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Lokomotivi to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
83 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad12 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“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 Saburtalo, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Oct 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Nika Mchedlidze and Saburtalo agree another 1 years.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 142% of everything Saburtalo 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
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.
Loan watch28 Sep 2026
“I watch every Saburtalo 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 2026
“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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Sep 2026
“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 watch21 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Konyaspor to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
Match19 Sep 2026
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
112 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad14 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match12 Sep 2026
Lokomotivi made Saburtalo work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Marked 8.47 — 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 ratings14 Sep 2026
Marked 8.24 — 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nika Mchedlidze, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Loan watch14 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Sioni to sit and watch. I want to come back to Saburtalo and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market7 Sep 2026
“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.
Match5 Sep 2026
4 matches without a win for Saburtalo
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Saburtalo are no longer polite ones.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
171% of the income goes out in wages at Saburtalo
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.
Market7 Sep 2026
Lokomotivi are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Saburtalo will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 7.41 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Saburtalo had the best player on the pitch.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
Marked 4.27, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 41. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market31 Aug 2026
“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 Saburtalo, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market31 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad31 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market31 Aug 2026
Tskhinvali paid $80.0K and Saburtalo took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to César Aponte, and the manager let it.
Match29 Aug 2026
0‑1 to Samtredia, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Saburtalo, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market31 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Irakli Chakvetadze has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Saburtalo.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Aug 2026
The cup run ends for Saburtalo
0‑1 against Dila, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 33. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The terraces24 Aug 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 7 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market24 Aug 2026
Goga Ananidze 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 Saburtalo can pretend not to have heard.
Market24 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Beka Dartsmelia 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.
Market24 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Saburtalo have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match22 Aug 2026
0‑2 to Sapovnela, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Khvicha Qazaishvili, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Aug 2026
Saburtalo march on in the cup
Guria are out and Saburtalo go through, 2‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Squad17 Aug 2026
There were 7 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market17 Aug 2026
The fee is $46.0K, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Samtredia drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.56, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match15 Aug 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Khvicha Qazaishvili. 3‑1 against Torpedo Kutaisi, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nika Mchedlidze, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Mamuka Arveladze and Saburtalo agree another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Saburtalo know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“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.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Saburtalo has been clear about where Dato Qazaishvili stands, which is more than many ever get.
Match8 Aug 2026
Point won or two lost for Saburtalo?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Dinamo Batumi? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Defensive actions: 10, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Aug 2026
“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 Saburtalo, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market3 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lasha Arveladze and Saburtalo agree another 2 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saburtalo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market3 Aug 2026
Add another name to the list: Konyaspor have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Dato Kiteishvili. The answer from Saburtalo has not changed — yet.