FC Locomotive Tbilisi

Locomotive Tbilisi

Full name	Football Club Lokomotive Tbilisi
Nickname(s)	Railroaders
Founded	August 14, 1936;87 years ago (1936-08-14)
Ground	Mikheil Meskhi Stadium Mikheil Meskhi 2 Stadium Tbilisi, Georgia
Capacity	27,223 2,000
Chairman	Alex Topuria
Manager	John van Loen
League	Erovnuli Liga 2
2022	10th in Erovnuli Liga, relegated
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

FC Locomotive Tbilisi is a Georgian football club from the capital, Tbilisi. During the existence of the USSR the club was a part of the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society. The club has strong connections with the Georgian Railways.

History

Locomotive was founded on 14 August 1936 as a part of Lokomotiv sports society. ^[1] The club won Georgian championship in 1937, which gave them the permission to participate in USSR Top League. Their debut season in the highest level of the Soviet football championship came in 1938, where the club took 24th place out of 26 and got relegated. However, the Tbilisi-based club managed to get another promotion during the following season and participated in 1940 Soviet Top League. But they were eventually disqualified from the tournament. These were the only seasons when Locomotive managed to take part in the top league. ^[1]

From the following years until the dissolution of USSR, the club moved between the lower divisions, played in the second the third divisions of the Soviet football championship.

Nodar Akhalkatsi, the coach of FC Dinamo Tbilisi and one of the most successful managers in the Soviet football, started his managing career in Locomotive. He managed the club from 1967 to 1970. ^{[1] [2]}

Since the post-Soviet era, Locomotive is one of the regular members of Erovnuli Liga. However, the club failed to win the championship. They were runners-up twice: in 2000-01 and in 2001–02 Umaglesi Liga. The club won Georgian Cup three times: in 2000, in 2002 and in 2005.

Some notable players of the club are: Levan Kenia, Levan Tskitishvili, Zurab Khizanishvili, Giorgi Arabidze, Giorgi Aburjania, Valeri Abramidze, Juan Diego González-Vigil, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Endika Bordas.

Honours

• Erovnuli Liga
  • Winners (3): 1937, 1945, 1956
  • Runners-up (3): 1943, 2000-01, 2001-02
• Georgian Cup
  • Winners (3): 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2004–05
  • Runners-up (2): 2000-01, 2019
• Georgian Super Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2005

European cups

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home	Away
1999–00	UEFA Cup	QR		Linfield	1–0	1–1
		1R		PAOK	0–7	0–2
2000–01	UEFA Cup	QR		Slovan	0–2	0–2
2001–02	UEFA Cup	QR		Birkirkara	1–1	0–0
2002–03	UEFA Cup	QR		Copenhagen	1–4	1–3
2005–06	UEFA Cup	1R		Banants	0–2	3–2
2008	UEFA Intertoto Cup	1Q		Etzella	2–2	0–0
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1Q		Universitatea Craiova	2–1	—
		2Q		Dynamo Moscow	2–1	—
		3Q		Granada	—	0–2

Current squad

As of 12 May, 2024. ^[3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   GEO Soso Kopaliani 3 DF   GEO Tornike Molashvili 4 DF   GEO Nika Tchanturia 5 MF   GEO Sandro Shetsiruli 6 MF   ZAM Frank Chileshe 7 MF   GEO Nikoloz Basheleishvili 8 MF   GEO Davit Samurkasovi 9 FW   GEO Lasha Ozbetelashvili 10 MF   GEO Luka Kekelidze 11 FW   GEO Lasha Kalandadze 12 GK   GEO Luka Khelashvili 14 MF   GEO Bidzina Makharoblidze 15 DF   GEO Vasil Khositashvili 16 MF   GEO Sandro Shashiashvili

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 FW   GEO Aleksandre Turkia 18 MF   GEO Ioane Tabatadze 19 FW   GEO Mamia Gavashelishvili 20 MF   GEO Gabriel Khutsishvili 21 DF   GEO Mikheil Basheleishvili 22 DF   GEO Davit Bukia 23 GK   GEO Guram Chikashua 24 DF   GEO Beka Kharaishvili 25 MF   GEO Zura Zosiashvili 27 DF   GEO Giorgi Gabadze(captain) 30 MF   GEO Lasha Menteshashvili 35 MF   GEO Luka Tsulukidze 36 MF   ZAM Bonephaneso Phiri 38 DF   GEO Roman Chachua

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   GEO Givi Mukbaniani(at FC Sioni Bolnisi until 31 December 2024)

Reserve team

Lokomotive II — participant in a number of seasons in the second and third most important leagues in Georgia. ^[4] Reached the final of the 2022 Georgian Cup as a fourth league team. ^[5]

References

1. "The history of FC Locomotive Tbilisi". FCloco.ge. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
2. Locomotive Tbilisi managers (in Russian)
3. "Lokomotivi Tbilisi roster". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
4. Локомотиви-2 Тбилиси (in Russian)
5. "მეოთხე ლიგაში მოთამაშე "ლოკომოტივი-2" საქართველოს თასის ფინალში გავიდა". radiotavisupleba.ge (in Georgian). 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02.

External links

• Official website
• Soccerway statistics
• Locomotive Tbilisi Results