From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match8 May 2027
Chastening afternoon for Zugdidi
A 1‑4 beating by Dinamo Batumi was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Squad10 May 2027
8 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Market10 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.
Player ratings10 May 2027
7.53, 1 on the scoresheet, and the specific comedy of a back-four player celebrating like somebody who does this every week. He does not, and that is exactly why the ground reacted the way it did.
Squad10 May 2027
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.
Squad10 May 2027
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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.
The dugout10 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.
Boardroom10 May 2027
Nobody left the Zugdidi 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.
Squad10 May 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Kakha Kiteishvili and Zugdidi agree another 3 years.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market3 May 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 May 2027
The medical room confirms 55 days on the sidelines for Beka Tsitaishvili, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 May 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Jaba Janelidze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match1 May 2027
Kolkheti left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout3 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Otar Arveladze
“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.
The dugout3 May 2027
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 0‑2 Beka Chakvetadze left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout3 May 2027
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
Squad3 May 2027
Player of the week, judged against every other man in the division. A small award, and one most careers never collect.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Two goals and a mark of 9.57 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Match24 Apr 2027
Three points for Zugdidi, 3‑2 the final word against Shukura in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad26 Apr 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksandre Zivzivadze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Archil Chakvetadze, and the manager let it.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Marked 8.11 — 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.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 3‑2, already talking about the next one.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
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 Archil Chakvetadze is on it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
At 34 every good afternoon gets called a throwback, and this one was: 8.22, and nobody on the pitch better.
Market19 Apr 2027
Only the photograph left for Saba Kakabadze
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Saba Kakabadze will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Zugdidi the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Archil Chakvetadze commits to Zugdidi for another 4 years.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Jaba Janelidze 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.
Match17 Apr 2027
It finished 2‑0, and it was Sergey Protasov’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Zugdidi.
The dugout19 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.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Sergey Protasov was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.42. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
“I watch every Zugdidi 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
Crisis
Market12 Apr 2027
“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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Khvicha Lobjanidze and Zugdidi agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jaba Janelidze 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.
Match10 Apr 2027
0‑1 to Chikhura, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Jaba Janelidze
“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.
Market12 Apr 2027
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zugdidi has been clear about where Archil Gamsakhurdia stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
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 Beka Chakvetadze left the room before anybody could ask which.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Apr 2027
0‑4 to Dila, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 9 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match31 Mar 2027
The small margins put Zugdidi out
Out, 0‑2 to Dinamo Batumi, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Market5 Apr 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Match3 Apr 2027
Zugdidi leaking at the back
5 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad5 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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Market5 Apr 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Mikheil Kobiashvili has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zugdidi.
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
Doors closed at Zugdidi
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
In brief
-
The dugout
The manager’s verdict
-
Squad
Archil Lobjanidze makes the team of the month
-
The dugout
A promise honoured at Zugdidi
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Khvicha Janelidze
19 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
A brace, and Sergey Protasov takes the afternoon — 9.20
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Sergey Protasov provided it, and the 9.20 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.80 for the rest of it.
Match27 Mar 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Sergey Protasov. 3‑2 against Merani, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aleksandre Mchedlidze 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.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces29 Mar 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Bachana Qazaishvili 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.
The dugout29 Mar 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.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Beka Chakvetadze on a 3‑2 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad22 Mar 2027
26 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Zugdidi lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Mar 2027
Saba Kakabadze has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match20 Mar 2027
The goals have deserted Zugdidi
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Zugdidi can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad22 Mar 2027
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Archil Gamsakhurdia and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match20 Mar 2027
0‑2 to Saburtalo, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout22 Mar 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.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Loan watch22 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 Zugdidi, and 2 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
The dugout22 Mar 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad15 Mar 2027
12 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Khvicha Janelidze
33 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match13 Mar 2027
Nowhere to hide for Zugdidi
0‑3 against Dinamo Tbilisi, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Mikheil Kobiashvili 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 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom15 Mar 2027
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
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 0‑3 Beka Chakvetadze left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bachana Janelidze, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad8 Mar 2027
Khvicha Janelidze damages knee ligaments — 40 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 40 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.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sergey Protasov commits to Zugdidi for another 3 years.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom8 Mar 2027
4 academy graduates step up at Zugdidi
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Market8 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Vakhtang Kobiashvili has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market8 Mar 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mikheil Ananidze is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market8 Mar 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Avtandil Tsitaishvili has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market8 Mar 2027
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Kakha Qazaishvili is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Match6 Mar 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
In brief
-
Squad
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
-
The dugout
The manager’s verdict
-
The dugout
Aleksandre Zivzivadze gets picked when it counts
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Mar 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Khvicha Janelidze
47 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market1 Mar 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
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.
The dugout1 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
54 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Zugdidi lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Feb 2027
Saba Kakabadze has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch22 Feb 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 Zugdidi, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Market22 Feb 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zugdidi know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Feb 2027
Khvicha Janelidze damages knee ligaments — 61 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 61 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.
Market15 Feb 2027
“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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksandre Mchedlidze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Bachana Chakvetadze commits to Zugdidi for another 3 years.
The dugout15 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
Steady
Squad8 Feb 2027
70 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Zugdidi lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
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 Aleksandre Zivzivadze is on it.
Market8 Feb 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Archil Chakvetadze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad8 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 Zugdidi would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Feb 2027
Khvicha Janelidze damages knee ligaments — 77 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 77 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.
Market1 Feb 2027
Mamuka 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Window shuts: 0 in, 2 out at Zugdidi
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 0 arrived, 2 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market1 Feb 2027
MFK Skalica are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zugdidi will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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 dugout1 Feb 2027
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.
The dugout1 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
A year in and the city has not opened up, the language has not come, and lunch is eaten alone more often than anybody at Zugdidi would admit. It shows on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jan 2027
Khvicha Janelidze damages knee ligaments — 84 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 84 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zugdidi have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market25 Jan 2027
Saba Kakabadze has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Transfer targets25 Jan 2027
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.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
Khvicha Janelidze damages knee ligaments — 91 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 91 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.
Market18 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Bachana Qazaishvili commits to Zugdidi for another 4 years.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Khvicha Janelidze
98 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market11 Jan 2027
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Mikheil Kobiashvili had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market11 Jan 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Shukura waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Zugdidi is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Squad11 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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market11 Jan 2027
The name of Guram Kakabadze has come up in conversations Zugdidi were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Nobody at Zugdidi 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Archil Chakvetadze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout11 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
“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.
Market4 Jan 2027
The name of Mikheil Kobiashvili has come up in conversations Zugdidi were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Sergey Protasov 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
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksandre Mchedlidze was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Zugdidi have made the call to Dinamo Tbilisi. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Market4 Jan 2027
Everyone has stopped pretending: Sapovnela will make the call about Archil Janelidze this week. Zugdidi have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
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 Archil Chakvetadze is on it.
The dugout4 Jan 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
Market28 Dec 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zugdidi is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Market28 Dec 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zugdidi know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Tornike Kashia 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 Tornike Kashia trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Questions about Giorgi Kiteishvili on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Dec 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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 dugout21 Dec 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.
Market21 Dec 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Sergey Protasov signs something — a contract at Zugdidi or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad21 Dec 2026
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Dec 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zugdidi is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
The dugout14 Dec 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 Aleksandre Zivzivadze is on it.
Market14 Dec 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Mikheil Kobiashvili’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Questions about Goga Arveladze on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Dec 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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
5 new faces, and Zugdidi are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
The dugout7 Dec 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.
Squad7 Dec 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Market30 Nov 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zugdidi know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Market23 Nov 2026
Saba Kakabadze has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad23 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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
Steady
Market16 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Market16 Nov 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad16 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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Temur Kiteishvili 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 dugout16 Nov 2026
Nobody at Zugdidi 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 dugout16 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kakha Kiteishvili, and the manager let it.
Market16 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Mikheil Kobiashvili’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Tornike Kashia 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 Zugdidi, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Questions about Bachana Janelidze on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
Sergey Protasov 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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I did not go to Chikhura to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zugdidi and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
The dugout9 Nov 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 Archil Chakvetadze is on it.
Market9 Nov 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jaba Janelidze’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout9 Nov 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
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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 Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch2 Nov 2026
“I did not go to Shukura to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zugdidi and fight for my place.” 2 appearances in 10 matches say the rest.
Market2 Nov 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zugdidi know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The terraces2 Nov 2026
What was a back-page link has become a chant, and the chant is not friendly. Zugdidi would rather it were settled quietly, and it has stopped being quiet.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The training reports on Guram Tsitaishvili are not good
A bad Saturday is forgiven; a bad Tuesday is chosen. Standards have slipped and in a building where everybody watches everybody, it has been noticed.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market26 Oct 2026
Saba Kakabadze has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zugdidi they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Archil Gamsakhurdia 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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at Zugdidi training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The training reports on Mamuka Zivzivadze are not good
A bad Saturday is forgiven; a bad Tuesday is chosen. Standards have slipped and in a building where everybody watches everybody, it has been noticed.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Archil Lobjanidze plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market19 Oct 2026
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Guram Kakabadze will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Zugdidi the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad19 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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout19 Oct 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.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Vakhtang Qazaishvili trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
Sergey Protasov 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
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
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 Zugdidi, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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
Jaba Janelidze 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Jaba Daraselia slips down the pecking order
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Jaba Daraselia is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zugdidi have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Loan watch5 Oct 2026
“I watch every Zugdidi game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Shukura runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Sep 2026
The match ball belongs to Sergey Protasov, whose 4 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Match26 Sep 2026
There is no crueller way to lose a football match. Zugdidi scored in the 92th minute, the restart barely happened, and the away end was still standing when the whistle went.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
The hardest thing about being 15 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Khvicha Lobjanidze did not need any: 8.00, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market28 Sep 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zugdidi is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 10.00, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match26 Sep 2026
Lokomotivi made Zugdidi work for it, but the scoreboard read 4‑3 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Jaba Janelidze 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.
The terraces28 Sep 2026
At 15 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Market21 Sep 2026
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Guram Kakabadze will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Zugdidi the goodbyes have quietly begun.
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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match19 Sep 2026
Sioni left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout21 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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Giorgi Kiteishvili 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.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout21 Sep 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 Aleksandre Zivzivadze is on it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Sandro Kiteishvili
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
14 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.89, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Market14 Sep 2026
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Zugdidi have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market14 Sep 2026
Zugdidi say no — this time
The offer from Sioni for Jaba Gamsakhurdia 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Beka Kakabadze 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 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match12 Sep 2026
Zugdidi rescue it on 91 minutes
Behind, and beaten by any honest reading, until minute 91. Samtredia had the points in their pocket and a corner of the ground still believed, which is generally when it happens.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Loan watch14 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Chikhura to sit and watch. I want to come back to Zugdidi and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad7 Sep 2026
21 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Zugdidi lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market7 Sep 2026
The bid was some way short and Zugdidi did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market7 Sep 2026
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Shukura waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Zugdidi is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Window shuts: 11 in, 11 out at Zugdidi
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 11 arrived, 11 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Market7 Sep 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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match5 Sep 2026
Sapovnela made Zugdidi work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Archil Gamsakhurdia and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad7 Sep 2026
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Giorgi Kiteishvili, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match29 Aug 2026
1‑6 to Torpedo Kutaisi, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The words a physio says slowly. 28 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
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.
Market31 Aug 2026
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Chikhura had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Market31 Aug 2026
Zugdidi say no — this time
The offer from Samtredia for Goga Arveladze 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
Dinamo Batumi pay $890.0K, 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.
Match29 Aug 2026
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Zugdidi and Torpedo Kutaisi, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Mikheil Kobiashvili 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Aug 2026
35 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Zugdidi lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad24 Aug 2026
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.
Market24 Aug 2026
The bid was some way short and Zugdidi did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market24 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 Zugdidi, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 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 Zugdidi this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market24 Aug 2026
Guram Gamsakhurdia has left for Dila in a $280.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market24 Aug 2026
Beka Kashia has left for Lokomotivi in a $15.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Match22 Aug 2026
0‑1 to Dinamo Batumi, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Zugdidi
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giorgi Kiteishvili was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 10 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Squad17 Aug 2026
42 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Zugdidi lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match12 Aug 2026
The small margins put Zugdidi out
Out, 1‑2 to Torpedo Kutaisi, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Match15 Aug 2026
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Market17 Aug 2026
Saburtalo come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zugdidi did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.89 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Market17 Aug 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Jaba Gamsakhurdia had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market17 Aug 2026
The name of Temur Janelidze has come up in conversations Zugdidi were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Player ratings17 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 24. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match8 Aug 2026
3‑0, and Sergey Protasov took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Zugdidi tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 32. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Market10 Aug 2026
Kolkheti come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zugdidi did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad10 Aug 2026
The match ball belongs to Sergey Protasov, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Archil Janelidze had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.82 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sergey Protasov and Zugdidi agree another 2 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market10 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Bachana Kiteishvili is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market3 Aug 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 Zugdidi can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Zugdidi
Sergey Protasov 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.
Transfer targets3 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.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Mikhail Kozlovsky 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
The phone has started ringing about Archil Janelidze again, and this time the name on the line is Guria. Zugdidi are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mamuka Zivzivadze commits to Zugdidi for another 2 years.
Market3 Aug 2026
Tornike Kashia is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zugdidi has been clear about where Tornike Kashia stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.