Georgian professional football club
Football club
FC Dinamo Batumi (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი დინამო ბათუმი) is a Georgian professional football club based in 🫰 Batumi, Adjara that competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the top division of the national football system.
The club won the champion's 🫰 title in 2024 and 2024, the Georgian Cup in 1997–98, and two Georgian Super Cups, in 1997–98 and 2024. In 🫰 1990, they changed their name to FC Batumi, only to reverse the decision in 1994.
Dinamo play their home matches at 🫰 Batumi Stadium.[1]
History [ edit ]
Early period [ edit ]
Prior to the formation of this club, there were some other teams 🫰 existing in the city. In 1923 two newly established clubs called Mezgvauri (The Sailor) and Tsiteli Raindi (The Red Knight) 🫰 merged and became Dinamo Batumi.[2]
Football was becoming more popular in Adjara later, although Dinamo participated only in the lower divisions 🫰 of Soviet championship. However, there were some players in the club, who later became successful footballers in USSR, including Revaz 🫰 Chelebadze, Nodar Khizanishvili and Vakhtang Koridze. The famous Greek footballer Andreas Niniadis also started his career in the club. He 🫰 later played for Olympiacos and Greece national football team.
The team played the last six seasons of 1980s in the First 🫰 league, the second Soviet division.[3]
1990s and 2000s [ edit ]
The success for the Batumi-based club came when they won Georgian 🫰 Cup in 1998, after losing two previous finals. The club defeated Dinamo Tbilisi in final. The goals were scored by 🫰 Aleksandre Kantidze and Davit Chichveishvili.[4] The club won Georgian Super Cup during the same year as well. They again defeated 🫰 Dinamo Tbilisi, by 2-1.[5] As one of the strongest teams of the league, starting from 1995 Dinamo represented the country 🫰 in European competitions for four seasons in a row.
The next decade turned out disappointing for Dinamo, which failed to notch 🫰 up any success on either competition. Amid construction boom in Adjara, in 2006 the club lost their stadium, located at 🫰 the seaside, to be sold and demolished. The Adeli stadium, which Dinamo started using as their home ground, met the 🫰 same fate later on.[6] It coincided with deteriorating performance in the league. After 2007-08 they were relegated for the first 🫰 time to Pirveli Liga, where as debutants the club took 8th place in an 11-team league. Overall, Dinamo spent next 🫰 five seasons out of six in the second division.
In search for success [ edit ]
From 2013/14 the club revived their 🫰 ambitions, first to gain promotion to Umaglesi Liga and then to secure a place among the league leaders. Silver, taken 🫰 in 2024, was followed by bronze the next year, but in 2024 Dinamo entered a period of instability with a 🫰 drastic change of players and replacement of managers. Levan Khomeriki, the head coach for three successive years, left to be 🫰 replaced by Ukrainian manager Kostyantyn Frolov, but he stepped down five months later.[7] Aslan Baladze took charge of the team, 🫰 which finished the season in the relegation zone, despite having some experienced players such as Otar Martsvaladze, David Kvirkvelia and 🫰 Elguja Grigalashvili in the squad. Dinamo suffered a worse setback in the play-off as dramatic two-leg tie against Sioni Bolnisi 🫰 ended 5:5 on aggregate and the penalty shoot-out determined the winner.[8]
Prior to the new season in Liga 2 Gia Geguchadze 🫰 was appointed in the club[9] and with promotion set as their only goal, Dinamo convincingly won the league by an 🫰 11-point margin.[10]
Progress on the pitch and beyond [ edit ]
2024 brought some more encouraging news. 100% share of Dinamo Batumi 🫰 owned by the Adjarian government was awarded to Lamini Ltd for 49 years.[11] Besides, a new prospect emerged for the 🫰 issue of football ground, which had plagued the club for so long. While Dinamo played home matches either on their 🫰 training base or at Rugby Arena, in January the government inaugurated the construction of a new UEFA category IV stadium 🫰 with the capacity of 20,000 seats due to be completed in late 2024.
Back in the top flight Dinamo rushed to 🫰 the title-chasing battle, in which they initially performed beyond expectations. As no other newly promoted club had ever won the 🫰 league, Dinamo Batumi appeared close to setting this record, although at the crucial point they slipped up, first dropping two 🫰 points against relegation-bound WIT Georgia and then losing to another unmotivated club altogether.[12] Yet, the second place was definitely success 🫰 for Dinamo, where some national team members - Jaba Jigauri, Giorgi Navalovski, Vladimer Dvalishvili - emerged at this stage.
Meanwhile, support 🫰 for the club reached remarkable proportions by Georgian standards. While all of 1,500 seats on Angisa training base were full 🫰 approximately three hours in advance, many more spectators watched the games from outside the fence. According to some estimates, an 🫰 average number of fans per each match was around 6,400.[13]
The next season, shortened by coronavirus, saw a scenario resembling the 🫰 previous one. After ten rounds Dinamo were unbeaten, sitting on the top of the table, but later they suffered two 🫰 home defeats, including from direct rivals Dinamo Tbilisi, who taking this opportunity sealed the champion's fate.[14]
On 27 October 2024 a 🫰 long-awaited official opening ceremony was held in Batumi. Finally, the second placed club for two seasons in a row representing 🫰 the second largest city proudly moved into their home.[15] In early December UEFA announced that this stadium would host some 🫰 of U21 European championship matches in 2024.[16]
Champions [ edit ]
This ultimate triumph was made possible from a third straight attempt. 🫰 With the same head coach into the fourth season and a largely retained squad, the team had some advantage over 🫰 their rivals from Tbilisi who were plagued by a frequent change of managers and key players. One point picked up 🫰 by the latter in four head-to-head matches indicated which side looked stronger this year. Besides, an impressive European campaign boosted 🫰 the players from Adjara. As a result, seven of them were called up in early September for the national team's 🫰 World Cup game against Spain.[17]
Inspired by fervent supporters, Batumi won six matches with a large margin, including 8–1, the biggest 🫰 win of the season, and lifted the Champion's Shield for the first time in their history.[18] Subsequently, their seven players 🫰 were named in Team of the Season.
Тhe club failed to defend the title in 2024 despite having a nine-point lead 🫰 over the nearest rivals by mid-season. But they prevailed in another champion's race over the same opponent the next season. 🫰 Their 2024 campaign was not as smooth as two years earlier, though. The club faced a mounting pressure from the 🫰 fanbase who voiced their protest against an existing transfer policy after the departure of key players such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 🫰 Zuriko Davitashvili and Sandro Altunashvili. Eventually, Gia Geguchadze, who had guided Dinamo to five trophies during his five-year tenure, left 🫰 the club following the second premature elimination in a row from the European season.[19]
Being in a celebratory mood in view 🫰 of their 100th anniversary and sitting on top of the table during the whole season, the team under new coach 🫰 Andriy Demchenko comfortably regained the champion's title and, besides, reached the cup final for the first time in 25 years.[20]
Statistics 🫰 [ edit ]
Domestic [ edit ]
Champions Runners-up Third place Relegated Promoted
Top scorers [ edit ]
European campaigns [ edit ]
Dinamo's European 🫰 history began with the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup competition. In a memorable home game against Celtic Glasgow more than 15,000 🫰 spectators witnessed good attacking football from both sides. The Georgians took the early lead but conceded twice in the first 🫰 period. They equalized later and came close to the draw, although the Scots scored at the end of the regular 🫰 time to cruise to victory.[21]
A year later the draw paired Dinamo against PSV Eindhoven. Even though the Dutch side were 🫰 the ultimate winners, Batumi played decently enough to earn a point in the first game. Goals in this game were 🫰 scored by Amiran Mujiri and Luc Nilis.[2]
Another remarkable event occurred in 1998 when they beat the powerful Yugoslav team Partizan 🫰 Belgrade at home.
In 2024, the club narrowly missed out on UEFA Conference League play-offs after an extra-time draw at Sivasspor 🫰 preceded by a sensational away victory over BATE Borisov.[22]
As of match played 20 July 2024
Competition Pld W D L GF 🫰 GA UEFA Champions League 2 0 1 1 1 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 12 5 2 5 18 18 🫰 UEFA Europa League 5 1 0 4 1 10 UEFA Europa Conference League 10 3 3 4 17 14 Total 🫰 29 9 6 14 37 44
Crest and colours [ edit ]
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ref 2024-21 Puma Europebet [24] 🫰 2024 Errea 7th Heaven Residence 2024 Errea Crocobet Lixin group
Current squad [ edit ]
As of 12 November 2024[25]
Note: Flags indicate 🫰 national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan [ edit 🫰 ]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Managerial history 🫰 [ edit ]
Notable managers [ edit ]
Below is the list of coaches who spent at least two seasons at Dinamo 🫰 Batumi
Shota Cheishvili (1990–94, 1996–99, 2024–16)
Valerian Chkhartishvili (1994–96)
Giovanni Carnevali it]
Levan Khomeriki (2014–15, 2024–17)
Gia Geguchadze (2024–2024)
Recent managers [ edit ]
Honours [ edit 🫰 ]
