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FC Odishi 1919
FC Odishi 1919 (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი ოდიში 1919), commonly referred to as simply Odishi, is a Georgian association football club based in Zugdidi, the administrative centre of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Being a municipal club,[1] they will compete in Liga 3, the third tier of Georgian football, in 2025 after gaining promotion from Liga 4 the previous season. HistoryOn 20 May 1919, two students of Zugdidi gymnasium, Leo Chedia and Pier Kobakhidze, organized a first football match in the city with Mertskhali (Swallows) represented as a local team. This date is considered a birthday for football in Zugdidi.[2] The main football club of the city has had various names, especially after 1990, and as Dinamo Zugdidi, Odishi, Zugdidi, Baia, and Mglebi has taken part in Umaglesi Liga in different seasons. Lazika Zugdidi, the predecessor of Odishi 1919, competed in lower divisions in early 2010s. Despite being the third division leaders for most of the 2012/13 season, at the end they lost a promotion chance.[3] A year later, though, the team remained unstoppable until a place in Pirveli Liga was booked.[4] The debutants of the second division performed remarkably well to join the battle for a promotion spot. The club slipped up at the very end again, losing three games in a row in the last five matches, which allowed Locomotive Tbilisi to claim a second place paving the way for play-offs. Still, the third place in 2014–15 in Liga 2 has been the best result shown by Lazika.[5] With another promotion set as their goal, the club started the next season. But its first phase turned out so awful that the manager and some key players were axed. Ukrainian manager Sergey Zhitski as well as forward Levan Kutalia were invited.[6] In the same season Lazika was introduced as Odishi 1919. As the manager pointed out, while taking this decision a special emphasis was given to the history of football in Zugdidi.[7] Soon a sharp decline followed, which resulted in two successive relegations. Left out of a national league for the first time, in 2018 Odishi finished as runners-up in their regional league group[8] and joined the newly formed Liga 4 for the next season. Their tenure in the fourth tier lasted six years. In contrast with the first less ambitious four seasons, during the 2023 season Odishi were regarded as title contenders, but they took fourth place only three points below their nearest rivals. Being the only 4th division club with a foreign coach, Odishi set to accomplish the same goal in 2024 and even though went through some mid-season changes in the management, the team sealed promotion well in advance, with four games still in hand.[9] Seasons
Current squadAs of 1 November 2024[11] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Managerial history
StadiumThe club currently holds home games at the Central stadium located in Ganmukhuri, which has the capacity of 2,000. NameAs an old name for Samegrelo, the term Odishi was widely applied in medieval times. External linksReferences
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