From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Jaba Qazaishvili
77 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Tskhinvali lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market2 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Tskhinvali can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Davit Arveladze and Tskhinvali agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Davit Arveladze and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad2 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Freire was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
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Loan watch2 Nov 2026
“I watch every Tskhinvali 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.
The dugout2 Nov 2026
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Market2 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Saba Shengelia’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili damages knee ligaments — 85 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 85 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Otar Ananidze and Tskhinvali agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tornike Lobjanidze 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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dato Mikautadze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch26 Oct 2026
“I watch every Tskhinvali 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.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Otar Ananidze gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Otar Ananidze is on it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Jaba Qazaishvili
92 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Tskhinvali lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Tskhinvali training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Freire is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Giorgi Ananidze and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout19 Oct 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.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Giorgi Shengelia's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Vakhtang Janelidze is on it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Jaba Qazaishvili
100 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Tskhinvali lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Words at Tskhinvali training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Freire is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market12 Oct 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Temur Ananidze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market12 Oct 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Davit Arveladze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market12 Oct 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Lasha Arveladze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market12 Oct 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Avtandil Kobiashvili is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Irakli Zivzivadze, and the manager let it.
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 Tskhinvali, and 0 appearances in 6 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Oct 2026
107 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Tskhinvali lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market5 Oct 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 Tskhinvali, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dato Mikautadze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pyotr Maslov commits to Tskhinvali for another 1 years.
Loan watch5 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Merani to sit and watch. I want to come back to Tskhinvali and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 6 matches say the rest.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Irakli Zivzivadze is on it.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Irakli Zivzivadze trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout5 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
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili damages knee ligaments — 115 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 115 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 17 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Otar Ananidze 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.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Freire falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match26 Sep 2026
3 matches without a goal for Tskhinvali
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match26 Sep 2026
0‑2 to Merani, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Otar Ananidze
“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 ratings28 Sep 2026
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 watch28 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Sapovnela to sit and watch. I want to come back to Tskhinvali and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Jaba Qazaishvili
122 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Tskhinvali lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Tskhinvali will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
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 Tskhinvali this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Freire was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Nobody at Tskhinvali will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Giorgi Lobjanidze chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match9 Sep 2026
Sioni are out and Tskhinvali go through, 1‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match12 Sep 2026
0‑5 against Dinamo Tbilisi, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Tskhinvali will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match9 Sep 2026
Ninety minutes of very little, and then everything at once. The winner arrived in the 86th, and Sioni spent what remained of the match appealing to the referee rather than chasing the ball.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 30 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Trabzonspor have kept their man, and Tskhinvali go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Tskhinvali training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Dato Mikautadze is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Giorgi Ananidze and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces14 Sep 2026
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 17-year-old it feels ownership of. Goga Gvelesiani has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match5 Sep 2026
Chastening afternoon for Tskhinvali
A 1‑4 beating by Dila was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Tskhinvali can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Tskhinvali close the window on a squad of their own making
1 in and 7 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Taraz is saying, and nobody at Tskhinvali is enjoying the guessing.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Freire was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Saba Tsitaishvili and Tskhinvali agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market31 Aug 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.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Everything agreed with Taraz, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Match29 Aug 2026
Whatever happens, Tskhinvali do not lose
6 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.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Words at Tskhinvali training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaba Qazaishvili is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
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 Tskhinvali this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 Aug 2026
4 matches without defeat, and then Lokomotivi. Nobody at the ground pretended it would go on forever; nobody expected it to stop here either.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
A loan enquiry to Trabzonspor: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Saba Shengelia commits to Tskhinvali for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match19 Aug 2026
Samtredia are out and Tskhinvali go through, 3‑1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match22 Aug 2026
Sioni will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Tskhinvali were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Two goals and a mark of 9.03 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Market24 Aug 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.
Match22 Aug 2026
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Market24 Aug 2026
Davit Mikautadze has left for Saburtalo in a $860.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Tskhinvali asked and Taraz said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jaba Qazaishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Giorgi Ananidze and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Aug 2026
A 4‑0 win over Shukura, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
A brace, and Saba Shengelia takes the afternoon — 8.86
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Saba Shengelia provided it, and the 8.86 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
0 on the scoresheet on his first appearance and a mark of 7.85 beside it. Most debuts are got through; this one was enjoyed, by him and by everybody watching it.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
No sign of nerves from Irakli Zivzivadze at 21 — 7.88
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Irakli Zivzivadze did not need any: 7.88, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market17 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.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili 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.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Tskhinvali
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Dato Mikautadze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match15 Aug 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Saba Shengelia. 2‑1 against Samtredia, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 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.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Tskhinvali had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Dinamo Tbilisi, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Goga Janelidze commits to Tskhinvali for another 4 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Davit Mikautadze 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
The phone has started ringing about Irakli Zivzivadze again, and this time the name on the line is Guria. Tskhinvali are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words at Tskhinvali training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaba Qazaishvili is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
The view from the dugout
“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Giorgi Lobjanidze chose the glass-half-full version of 0‑0; the supporters left with the other one.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
Goga Janelidze knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Tskhinvali, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
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 Tskhinvali, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Jaba Qazaishvili and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Dato Mikautadze falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match1 Aug 2026
0‑1 to Torpedo Kutaisi, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Marked 6.73 on 10 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
The dugout3 Aug 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.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑1 Giorgi Lobjanidze left the room before anybody could ask which.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
A loan enquiry to Dinamo Tbilisi: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Market3 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Tskhinvali, another week without a signature from Revaz Chakvetadze.