FC Gareji Sagarejo

Established in 1960, during the Soviet period Gareji for many years participated in Georgian republican championship and later, after 1990, spent several seasons in the second and third divisions.

A recent rise of the team started from Regionuli Liga in 2018. Apart from winning its Group East, Gareji also secured an easy win in a home-and-away play-off tie against their Liga 3 opponents.[1] As members of the newly created Liga 4, they finished just below the promotion zone, which was still widely regarded as success for the debutants. Further events unfolded unexpectedly. After FC Tskhinvali failed to fulfill their financial obligations, they were expelled from Liga 3[2] and replaced by Gareji, who filled the vacuum as a 3rd placed team.

Against all odds, the promoted team under head coach Tengiz Kobiashvili emerged among the third division leaders from the outset of the 2020 season and convincingly prevailed over their rivals in promotion battle by winning 14 games out of 18.[3] With this achievement Gareji completed a remarkable journey from the fifth division to Liga 2 within the shortest period of time.

Once in the second league, for most of 2021 Gareji was still aiming at the promotion, competing with Merani Martvili for a third qualifying place. Ultimately the latter gained the upper hand, although Gareji recorded some impressive victories, including 8–0, which was the biggest win of the season for any Liga 2 team. Forward Giorgi Kharebashvili shined in this match by scoring six times.[4]

In 2019, Gareji became a first ever 4th league team in Georgian football history to reach semifinals of the national Cup.[5] The fact that head coach Davit Kokiashvili quit Gareji two days prior to the game may have affected the club,[6] but they offered Lokomotive Tbilisi a decent resistance during the entire match. Despite taking the lead after the first 45 minutes, eventually Gareji lost after conceding the third goal from a penalty spot.[7]

The next year Gareji were eliminated by Samgurali, the runners-up of the Cup.[8]

The team reached quarterfinals in 2021 where they lost to future Cup winners Saburtalo in the dying minutes of the game.[9]

As of 1 August 2023[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 4 DF  GEO Lasha Ugrekhelidze 5 MF  GEO Nika Guruli 6 DF  GEO Jaba Kasrelishvili 7 MF  COL Steven Bermudez 8 MF  GEO Giorgi Papuashvili 9 MF  GEO Papuna Poniava 10 FW  GEO Levan Papava 11 MF  GEO David Lomtadze 13 MF  GEO Irakli Klimiashvili 14 MF  GEO Ilia Tchikaidze 15 MF  GEO Nika Galakhvaridze 17 MF  GEO Giorgi Vekua 18 MF  GEO Irakli Chiabrishvili

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 GK  GEO Konstantine Sepiashvili 20 FW  GEO Giorgi Tsetskhladze (on loan from Dila Gori) 21 GK  GEO Giorgi Gabunia 22 DF  GEO Vakhtang Kapanadze 23 DF  GEO Guram Kharebava 26 MF  GEO Beka Gabiskiria 28 MF  GEO Nikoloz Apakidze 31 MF  GEO Luka Bochorishvili 33 MF  GEO Giorgi Kharebashvili 34 DF  GEO Giorgi Jinjikhadze 39 GK  GEO Davit Kupatadze — DF  GEO Giorgi Latsabidze — FW  GEO Irakli Lekvtadze

• Regionuli Liga

Winners: 2018 (Group East D)

• Liga 4

Third place: 2019

• Meore Liga/Liga 3

Winners: 2020

Third place: 2016 (Group East D)

Gareji also have a reserve team, which participates in Group A of Regionuli Liga.[11]

Gareji's home arena is the Central stadium with the capacity of 2,000 seats, which sustained major reconstruction works in 2018.[12]

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