FC Dinamo Batumi
 | ||||
| Full name | Football Club Dinamo Batumi | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 30 November 1923 | |||
| Stadium | Adjarabet Arena | |||
| Capacity | 20,000 | |||
| Owner | Temur Mikeladze | |||
| President | Archil Beridze | |||
| Head coach | Giorgi Chiabrishvili | |||
| League | Erovnuli Liga | |||
| 2025 | Erovnuli Liga, 6th of 10 | |||
| Website | dinamobatumi | |||
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Football Club 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 Georgian football.
They are one of the oldest clubs in the country, having won all three major trophies: two league titles, one Georgian Cup and two Super Cups. As of 2026, it ranks third in the all-time national points rankings. In 1990, they changed their name to FC Batumi, only to reverse the decision in 1994.
Dinamo play their home matches at the 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 became 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 the 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 the Greece national team.
The team played the last six seasons of the 1980s in the Soviet First League, tier 2 of Soviet football.[3]
1990s and 2000s
[edit]The success for the Batumi-based club came when they won the Georgian Cup in 1998, after losing two previous finals. As the team defeated Dinamo Tbilisi, the goals were scored by Aleksandre Kantidze and Davit Chichveishvili.[4] They secured the Georgian Super Cup as well after a 2–1 win over the same opponents.[5] As one of the strongest teams of the league, starting from 1995 Dinamo represented the country in European competitions for four consecutive seasons.
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 to Pirveli Liga for the first time. Overall, Dinamo spent next five seasons out of six in the second division.
In search for success
[edit]In 2013–14, the club revived their ambitions, first to gain promotion to Umaglesi Liga and then to secure a place among the league leaders. They performed as runners-up after a 17-year wait in 2015, but two years later entered the period of instability characterized by a drastic change of players and replacement of managers. The team concluded the season in the relegation zone, despite having some experienced players such as Otar Martsvaladze, David Kvirkvelia and Elguja Grigalashvili in the squad. They suffered a worse setback in the play-off as a dramatic two-leg tie against Sioni resulted in their relegation.[7]
Prior to the new season in Liga 2, Gia Geguchadze was appointed as head coach[8] and with promotion set as their only goal, Dinamo convincingly won the league by an eleven-point margin.[9]
Тhe Lamini managerial years (2020–25)
[edit]In early 2020, 100% share of Dinamo Batumi owned by the Adjarian government was awarded to Lamini Ltd for 49 years.[10]
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 stage they slipped up, dropping vital points against two unmotivated clubs.[11] Yet, the second place was definitely success for the club, where national team members Jaba Jigauri, Giorgi Navalovski and Vladimer Dvalishvili emerged at this stage.
On 27 October 2020, following a long-awaited opening ceremony of the Batumi Stadium, the second-placed club for two consecutive seasons representing the second largest city proudly moved into their new home.[12]
Dinamo Batumi achieved their biggest league triumph from a third straight attempt in 2021. With the same head coach into the fourth season and a largely retained squad, the team gained advantage over their rivals, 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.[13] Subsequently, their seven players were named in Team of the Season.[14] An impressive UEFA European campaign also boosted the players from Adjara. Seven of them were called up in early September for Georgia's World Cup qualifier against Spain.[15]
Dinamo Batumi position attracted young talents like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Zuriko Davitashvili to join the club in March 2022.[16] The next year, amid the celebrations of their centenary season, the team, now guided by Andriy Demchenko, secured the league title, also reaching the cup final for the first time in 25 years.[17]
A new decline started in 2024 when Dinamo failed to finish the season among top two teams for the first time in the last six years. In the summer of 2025, the management admitted a financial crisis. As a year-long transfer ban was imposed by FIFA, many footballers left the club. In early December, the Adjarian government announced that they abolished the 2020 agreement with Lamini Ltd and restored full control over the club.[18] On 29 December 2025, JSC DB 1923 officially took over Dinamo Batumi.[19]
Statistics
[edit]Domestic
[edit]| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Relegated | Promoted |
| Season | League | Pos. | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | P | Georgian Cup | Super Cup | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Umaglesi Liga | 6 | 34 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 28 | 61 | Semi-finals | N/A | |
| 1991 | Umaglesi Liga | 5 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 28 | 21 | 32 | |||
| 1991–92 | Umaglesi Liga | 9 | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 55 | 58 | 51 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 1992–93 | Umaglesi Liga | 11 | 32 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 56 | 56 | 39 | Runner-up | ||
| 1993–94 | Umaglesi Liga | 5 | 32 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 63 | 46 | 53 | Semi-finals | ||
| 1994–95 | Umaglesi Liga | 4 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 69 | 40 | 54 | Runner-up | ||
| 1995–96 | Umaglesi Liga | 6 | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 68 | 28 | 54 | Runner-up | Runner-up | CWC 1st Round |
| 1996–97 | Umaglesi Liga | 3 | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 71 | 22 | 62 | Runner-up | Runner-up | CWC 1st Round |
| 1997–98 | Umaglesi Liga | 2 | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 58 | 19 | 62 | Winner | Winner | CWC QR |
| 1998–99 | Umaglesi Liga | 5 | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 49 | 22 | 50 | Quarter-finals | CWC QR | |
| 1999–00 | Umaglesi Liga | 4 | Semi-finals | |||||||||
| 2000–01 | Umaglesi Liga | 7 | Round of 16 | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | Umaglesi Liga | 5 | Quarter-finals | |||||||||
| 2002–03 | Umaglesi Liga | 8 | Round of 16 | |||||||||
| 2003–04 | Umaglesi Liga | 10 | Quarter-finals | |||||||||
| 2004–05 | Umaglesi Liga | 8 | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 35 | 33 | 39 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2005–06 | Umaglesi Liga | 6 | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 42 | 21 | 58 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2006–07 | Umaglesi Liga | 9 | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 30 | 30 | Semi-finals | ||
| 2007–08 | Umaglesi Liga | 13 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 51 | 16 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2008–09 | Pirveli Liga | 8 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 42 | 36 | |||
| 2009–10 | Pirveli Liga | 5 | 28 | 15 | 8 | 5 | 44 | 17 | 53 | Round of 32 | ||
| 2010–11 | Pirveli Liga | 5 | 32 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 66 | 18 | 63 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2011–12 | Pirveli Liga | 1 | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 9 | 42 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2012–13 | Umaglesi Liga | 11 | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 39 | 55 | 31 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2013–14 | Pirveli Liga | 2 | 26 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 65 | 17 | 59 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2014–15 | Umaglesi Liga | 2 | 30 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 24 | 58 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2015–16 | Umaglesi Liga | 8 | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 41 | 32 | 44 | Round of 16 | Europa League 1st QR | |
| 2016 | Umaglesi Liga | 3 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 23 | 7 | 26 | Round of 32 | ||
| 2017 | Erovnuli Liga | 8 | 36 | 10 | 3 | 23 | 28 | 60 | 33 | Round of 32 | Europa League 1st QR | |
| 2018 | Liga 2 | 1 | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 60 | 22 | 76 | Round of 16 | ||
| 2019 | Erovnuli Liga | 2 | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 57 | 31 | 70 | Round of 32 | ||
| 2020 | Erovnuli Liga | 2 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 14 | 36 | Round of 16 | Europa League 1st QR | |
| 2021 | Erovnuli Liga | 1 | 36 | 21 | 12 | 3 | 73 | 27 | 75 | Semi-finals | UECL 3rd QR | |
| 2022 | Erovnuli Liga | 2 | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 87 | 34 | 77 | Round of 16 | Winner | UCL 1st QR UECL 2nd QR |
| 2023 | Erovnuli Liga | 1 | 36 | 21 | 11 | 4 | 83 | 41 | 74 | Runner-up | Runner-up | UECL 1st QR |
| 2024 | Erovnuli Liga | 4 | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 41 | 55 | Quarter-finals | UCL 1st QR UECL 2nd QR | |
| 2025 | Erovnuli Liga | 6 | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 59 | 43 | Semi-finals |
Top scorers
[edit]| Season | Div. | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011/12 | 2nd |  Mikheil Jorbenadze | 8 |
| 2012/13 | 1st | Mikheil Jorbenadze | 6 |
| 2013/14 | 2nd | Amiran Abuselidze | 8 |
| 2014/15 | 1st | Giorgi Beriashvili | 9 |
| 2015/16 | 1st | Giorgi Beriashvili | 10 |
| 2016 | 1st | Elguja Lobjanidze Temur Shonia | 5 |
| 2017 | 1st |  Yaroslav Kvasov | 8 |
| 2018 | 2nd |  Flamarion | 24 |
| 2019 | 1st | Flamarion | 17 |
| 2020 | 1st | Jaba Jigauri | 8 |
| 2021 | 1st | Jaba Jigauri Giorgi Pantsulaia | 13 |
| 2022 | 1st | Flamarion | 19 |
| 2023 | 1st | Flamarion | 17 |
| 2024 | 1st | Lado Mamuchashvili  Mario Balburdia | 5 |
| 2025 | 1st |  Jalen Blesa | 7 |
European campaigns
[edit]
Dinamo's European history began with the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup competition. In a memorable home game against Celtic, 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.[20]
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 2021, 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.[21]
- As of match played 10 July 2024
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 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 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 38 | 47 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | QR |  Obilić |
2–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| 1R |  Celtic |
2–3 | 0–4 | 2–7 | ||
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | QR |  HB Torshavn |
6–0 | 3–0 | 9–0 |
| 1R |  PSV Eindhoven |
1–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 | ||
| 1997–98 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | QR |  Ararat Yerevan |
0–3[22] | 2–0 | 2–3 |
| 1998–99 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | QR | Partizan |
1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | 1QR |  AC Omonia |
1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| 2017–18 | UEFA Europa League | 1QR |  Jagiellonia Białystok |
0–1 | 0–4 | 0–5 |
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | 1QR |  Hapoel Be'er Sheva |
N/a | 0–3 | N/a |
| 2021–22 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1QR |  Tre Penne |
3–0 | 4–0 | 7–0 |
| 2QR |  BATE Borisov |
0–1 | 4–1 | 4–2 | ||
| 3QR |  Sivasspor |
1–2 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | 2–3 | ||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Champions League | 1QR |  Slovan Bratislava |
1–2 (a.e.t.) | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 2QR | Lech Poznań |
1–1 | 0–5 | 1–6 | |
| 2023–24 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1QR |  Tirana |
1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| 2024–25 | UEFA Champions League | 1QR |  Ludogorets Razgrad |
1–0 | 1–3 | 2–3 |
| UEFA Conference League | 2QR |  Dečić |
0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
Crest and colours
[edit]Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors
[edit]| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Puma | Europebet | [23] |
| 2022 | Errea | 7th Heaven Residence | |
| 2023 | Errea | Crocobet
Lixin group |
Current squad
[edit]- As of 21 September 2026[24]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Out on loan
[edit]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
[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, 2015–16)
- Valerian Chkhartishvili (1994–96)
- Giovanni Carnevali (2000–02)
- Levan Khomeriki (2014–15, 2016–17)
- Gia Geguchadze (2018–2023)
Recent managers
[edit]| Name | Nat. | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gia Guruli | |
April 2012 | June 2013 |
| Koba Zhorzhikashvili | |
July 2013 | March 2014 |
| Levan Khomeriki | |
March 2014 | June 2015 |
| Shota Cheishvili | |
July 2015 | April 2016 |
| Levan Khomeriki | |
April 2016 | May 2017 |
| Kostyantyn Frolov | |
May 2017 | October 2017 |
| Aslan Baladze | |
October 2017 | December 2017 |
| Gia Geguchadze | |
January 2018 | August 2023 |
| Andriy Demchenko | |
August 2023 | October 2024 |
Honours
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "ეროვნული ლიგა, XVI ტური: ბათუმის დინამომ ახალ სტადიონზე გამარჯვება იზეიმა". sportall.ge (in Georgian). 21 November 2020.
- 1 2 "The history of FC Dinamo Batumi". Dinamobatumi.com. 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ↑ "Dinamo Bt in Soviet leagues". wildstat.com.
- ↑ "Georgian Cup season 1997-98". Msy.gov.ge (Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia). Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
- ↑ "Georgian Super 1999". besoccer.com. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ ""ადელის" სტადიონის ადგილზე აპარტამენტები აშენდება". batumelebi.netgazeti.ge (in Georgian). 11 April 2016.
- ↑ "2017 play-offs". soccerway.com.
- ↑ "ბათუმის დინამოს გია გეგუჩაძე გაუძღვება". fanebi.com (in Georgian). 13 January 2018.
- ↑ "2018, Liga 2". flashscore.com. 7 December 2018.
- ↑ "რა პირობით გასხვისდა "დინამო ბათუმი"". batumelebi.netgazeti.ge (in Georgian). 10 February 2020.
- ↑ "Erovnuli Liga, 2019". soccerway.com.
- ↑ "UEFA Category IV stadium opens in Batumi". agenda.ge.
- ↑ "ზეიმი ბათუმში – დინამო ბათუმმა საჩემპიონო ფარი ჩაიბარა". netgazeti.ge (in Georgian). 4 December 2021.
- ↑ "ნომინანტები და გამარჯვებულები" [Nominations and winners of Crystalbet Eliga awards]. worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 29 December 2021.
- ↑ "Spain vs Georgia, Match report". UEFA. 5 September 2021.
- ↑ "ხვიჩა კვარაცხელია და ზურიკო დავითაშვილი "დინამო ბათუმში" ითამაშებენ" [Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Zuriko Davitashvili set to play for Dinamo BatumiV]. worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 23 March 2022.
- ↑ ""დინამო ბათუმი" საქართველოს ჩემპიონი გახდა". batumelebi.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ↑ "არჩილ ბერიძეს "დინამო ბათუმის" წილები დაათმობინეს – ქონება აჭარის მთავრობამ დაიბრუნა" [Archil Beridze loses shares at Dinamo Batumi as the property is returned to Adjara government] (in Georgian). Batumelebi. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ "ბათუმის დინამოს გასხვისების პროცესი დასრულდა - კლუბს ახალი მესაკუთრე ჰყავს" [Dinamo Batumi has a new owner] (in Georgian). Dinamo Batumi. 30 December 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ↑ "Dinamo Batumi vs Celtic". worldfootball.net.
- ↑ "BATE vs Dinamo Batumi, Match report". UEFA.
- ↑ Ararat Yerevan were awarded a 3–0 win in the qualifying round first leg after Dinamo Batumi were found guilty of fielding an ineligible player ― Sotogashvili. The match originally ended as a 4–2 win for Dinamo Batumi.
- ↑ "FC Dinamo Batumi Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
- ↑ "Squad". erovnuliliga.ge.
External links
[edit]
- Official website (in Georgian)
- FC Dinamo Batumi on Facebook (in Georgian)
- FC Dinamo Batumi Results (in Georgian)