🇬🇪 FC Ameri Tbilisi (Georgia)

FC Ameri Tbilisi (Georgia)

The country of Georgia, a country that has always had a mixed bag of results on the international stage, never qualifying for a major international tournament, but in recent history have been the likes of Spain and only recently beating Sweden in a World Cup qualifying game, 2-0, on 11^th November 2021. However, we are going to look at one club that came from the Georgian Football Leage, who lasted seven years, and then vanished. This club left their mark on Georgian football and played some European matches as well in their short history. This is the story of FC Ameri Tbilisi.

Founded in 2002, based on the district of Gldani in Tbilisi, FC Ameri started life in the third tier of Georgian football, but they quickly gained promotion to the second tier in their first season. They struggled at this level and finished 12^th out 16 teams that season, which meant they were to be relegated but were given a reprieve when two sides dropped out, Lokomotiv Samtredia and Luka Batuni. Interestingly, that season, despite only winning twelve, drawing seven and losing thirteen, they finished with a plus ten goal difference, scoring 34 and only conceding 24 goals. The next season saw a huge improvement in form, The 2004 – 05 season saw FC Ameri Tbilisi jump from relegation fodder to champions of the Pirveli Liga, the second division of Georgian football. It meant they had reached the topflight in only three seasons since their formation. After winning twenty-three of their games that season, drawing three and only losing four. They also scored 98 goals in total and only conceded 18 all season.

Their first season in the Umaglesi Liga in 2005-06 was a decent one, with the club finishing 7^th out of the 16 teams in the league, winning fifteen, drawing four and losing eleven games that season. Once again they finished the season with a positive goal difference, scoring 32 and only conceding 26. But that wasn’t the highlight for the club that wore yellow and white stripes. That season they went on to win their first major trophy when they lifted the Georgian Cup. Games in the cup were played over two legs and in the round of 32, FC Ameri beat Meshakre Agara 6-1 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second leg. This set up a tie with Gagra in the round of 16, and once again FC Ameri won the first leg comfortably, 4-1. The second leg finished 0-0 but the damage had been done and Ameri went through to the Quarterfinals. This time they faced a much tougher opponent in Kolkheti-1912 Poti. They played out a nervy 0-0 draw in the first leg but FC Ameri managed to pull off a narrow 1-0 win in the second leg and progressed to the semi-final stage.Once again, the two-legged affair was decided by just one goal and it was scored in the second leg by Ameri Tbilisi. They had managed to et to their first ever major final and in their first year of playing topflight football. The club were on the up. Only one team could stop them from lifting their first major trophy and that team was FC Zestafoni, a club who themselves were only formed in 2004, even younger than Ameri Tbilisi. 

The final was played on May 13^th, 2006, at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi in front of a crowd of 10,000. Ameri Tbilisi took the lead in the 10^th minute through a goal scored by Davitashvili. Zestafoni soon equalised in the 29^th minute with goal from Georgian international forward, Ionanidze. It ended all square at the break, but it didn’t take long for FC Ameri to regain the lead in the second half with a goal from Rati Tsinamdzgvrishvili (Try pronouncing that) in the 50^th minute. It seemed as though Ameri were about to lift their first major trophy until Zestafoni equalised in the 90^th minute when Ghonghadze hit the back of the net to send the game into extra time. Neither side could find a winner in the added time and so the game went to penalties. Ameri missed their first penalty (Dekanosidze), while Zestafoni put away their first two (Ganugrava, Imedadze). Ameri scored their following two (Bolkvadze, Tatanashvili) until Zestafoni missed their third (Pipia) to draw the sides level. FC Ameri scored their next two with Davitnidze and Khvadagiani slotting home both their penalties. Zestafoni could only manage to score one of their last two (Ionanisze) while Chanturia missed his, meaning FC Ameri Tbilisi won the penalty shoot-out 4-3 and lifted their first major trophy. Not only did they get silverware, but it meant they qualified for next seasons UEFA cup.

In the first ever game in European competition, they faced Armenian side Banants (Now known officially as FC Urartu  since 2019). They lost the home leg 10 but managed to win the away leg 2-1 and qualified for the second round through the away goal rule. This set up  a tie against German side Hertha Berlin, with not many people giving the Georgian club a chance. But they remained competitive against the German side, drawing 2-2 in the home leg and only losing 1-0 in Berlin, meaning their European adventure came to an end. They also lifted the Georgian Super Cup in 2006 that year as well, beating league winners FC Sioni Bolnisi,1-0.

The 2006-07 saw FC Ameri finish an impressive third place, only six points behind the champions that season, Olimpi Rustavi. It gained them qualification to the UEFA cup the following year once again, but their league position wouldn’t have mattered as they regained their Georgian Cup title.

They started off their defence against Kakheti Telavi, losing to them 3-1 in the first leg at home but beating them 5-3 in the second leg away from home, meaning that FC Ameri went through on the away goal rule after a 6-6 aggregate score. With the cup format being changed and a group stage being introduced, FC Ameri were drawn in Group A, alongside FC Zestafoni, Spartaki Tbilisi and interestingy the side they knocked out in the first round, Kakheti Telavi, who, along with four other clubs, progressed in the cup to make up the sixteen clubs and four groups. FC Ameri qualified from the grou in second place, behind their rivals FC Zestafoni, with both clubs finishing on thirteen points each. Zestafoni toped the group on goal difference, beating FC Ameri 4-1 on the 22^{nd of} November. Ameri faced city rivals Dinamo Tbilisi in the quarterfinals beating them 2-1 in the first leg and drawing 0-0 in the second. The progressed to the semi-finals to face Sioni Bolnisi, losing 3-0 in the first le at home and leaving their defence of their cup title in tatters. It seemed as though the second leg would be a forgone conclusion, but FC Ameri were not to give up without a fight and amazingly they won the away game 4-1, meaning that although the two-legged tie finished all square at 4-4, FC Ameri Tbilisi went through on the away goal rule. It set up a final against FC Zestofoni, a repeat of the final the year before. The sides had met in the group stages as well. There was a rivalry forming between two of the newest clubs formed in the Georgian football league and it showed with 25,000 attending the final between the two sides on the 26^th May 2007 at the Boris Palchadze Stadium in Tbilisi. The game itself was also referred by a Turkish referee, Cuneyt Cakir. Unlike the previous final, the game was a cagey affair with the sides going in at half-time all square, 0-0. It wasn’t until the 61^st minute when the deadlock was broken by FC Ameri. It was Georgian International forward, Dimitri Tatanashvili who scored the goal. It proved to be the only goal of the game and FC Ameri once again lifted the Georgian cup and at the expense of FC Zestofoni.

Their second stint in Europe ended in the first rou d that year as well, with the club drawing Polish opponents, GKS Belchatow. Winning the home leg 2-0 put the Georgian side in a strong position going into the second le, however, the Polish side made home advantage count and won the second leg 2-0, sending the tie into penalties. The Polish side won the penalty shootout, leaving FC Ameri to concentrate on domestic matters. The 2007-08 season saw the club finish 5^th, just outside the European qualifying places, winning fifteen, drawing three and losing eight. It would mean that they would have to win the Georgian cup for a third year in a row if they were to enter the UEFA Cup for the next year. It was a challenge that FC Ameri relished, and they continued to be a force in the Georgian cup.

FC Ameri had to navigate their way through a group stage first. They were drawn in Group A alongside Spartak Tshinvali, Meskheti Akhaltsikhe and Torpedo Kutaisi. They topped the group, winning five out of their six games, only losing to Spartak Tshinvali, 2-1 away. The quarterfinals proved to be an easy event for the Tbilisi side also when they beat Magharoeli Chiatura 6-1 on aggregate. (2-1 first leg, 4-0 second leg).  They finished off the semi-final as a competition in the first leg when they beat Borijomi 4-1 in the first leg. The second leg ended 1-1, meaning they advanced to back-to-back finals with a 5-2 aggregate score. Not only was it to be another final, their third in three years, but it was to be another final against FC Zestafoni. This would be third consecutive final between these two clubs and FC Zestafoni were due a victory having been denied the previous two years. The final was once again played at the Boris Paichadze Stadium in front of 25,000 fans, but this time they would be seeing a different side lifting the trophy. FC Zestoni took the lead in the 57^th minute through Oniani, then doubled their lead five minutes later in the 62^nd minute when Gotsindze scored. It looked as though they would finally get the better of FC Ameri until the 88^th minute when Tatanashvili scored to make it a nervous ending for Zestafoni. Despite the late scare, they held on to win the Georgian cup and deny FC Ameri a third consecutive triumph.

The 2008-09 season came, but FC Ameri Tbilisi weren’t to participate in it. Just before the season started the club voluntarily withdrew and dissolved, citing financial reasons for their decision. And so the club, FC Ameri Tbilisi, the side who had competed in the last three Georgian Cup finals, winning two of them, had disappeared from the Georgian Football league. One man who can tell us more about this extraordinary club is Georgian football expert, Luka, who runs a Georgian Football account on Twitter. Here is what he had to say when I asked the questions about FC Ameri Tbilisi and Georgian football.

First, thank you for taking time out to answer my questions on Georgian football and FC Ameri Tbilisi. The first question I have to ask is, how did you get involved in Georgian football and where did your passion come from?

Luka: Me being born and raised in Georgia, as well as coming from a family that loves sports and football in particular really got me into football since my early ages. Attending matches with my father and uncles, and it basically being one of the discussion topics in everyday life as well.

What can you tell me about Ameri? How did they come about and who ran the club do you know?

Luka: As you might know, Ameri were officially established in 2002. It was run by a local businessman Zviad Potskhveria, who had all the ambitions and decent financial leverage to make Ameri one of the better clubs competing in Top flight. He brought in some promising young guys with other relatively experienced presence at the club.

 

They were only around for seven years, but they won more than some clubs have done in 100 years. They must have attracted a bit of a following and built up a fanbase in that time, or were they looked upon as a ‘Franchise’ with no history by the other clubs in Georgia and their fans?

Luka: In terms of the amount of fans and followership, they were based in a district of Gldani (Tbilisi) which, to this date, is the largest one in the capital, with more than a third of Tbilisi’s population living there. Hence it really helped the club to gain lots of interest by locals, and had a solid attendance during league matches after their promotion to the top flight in 2005 and a somewhat successful European adventure in 2006. (They were a goal away from knocking out Hertha BSC from the Uefa Cup 2nd round qualifiers.)

I can’t ask you questions and not mention the club FC Zestofoni. After doing my research on FC Ameri I went and had a read about them as well. They made it to the 2014-15 season but withdrew from the league or as it says, they were expelled. What happened to them? I know they play in the Fourth Division now of Georgian football.

Luka: Zetsafoni were one of the most promising teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s, unfortunately due to disobedience to the league rules and some financial issues, they were expected to be expelled to the 3rd tier, but due to unknown reasons, the club decided to go further down to the Regional League (5th tier) and begin their journey from there. They got promoted to the 3rd division in 2021 and are hoping to go even higher up, but unfortunately, the owner of the club Ilia Kokaia tragically died in a hiking accident in November, 2021. A real shame for a guy who really loved the club and was the main reason of their success.

In your opinion, Who is your favourite Georgian player and who was the best Georgian player? It can be the same player.

Luka: As far as my favorite player, from the players I saw playing, I have to go with Guram Kashia (Current) and Shota Arveladze (Past) and in terms of the best ever Georgian (Let’s say after the Soviet era) It’s either Kaladze who had the most successful career out of any other Georgians abroad, winning the UCL twice and Multiple Seria A titles, and Giorgi Kinkladze, who never fulfilled his potential and is deemed as one of the biggest What If’s in our footballing history.

Georgian football isn’t something that most people in Europe will watch or have any knowledge about. Can you give our readers some interesting facts about some of the clubs and the league?

Luka: Probably the most well-known club from Georgia has to be Dinamo Tbilisi, with them being one of the better Soviet sides in the 70s and 80s, winning the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1981, and beating teams like West Ham, Liverpool, Napoli, Feyenoord and Inter at the time. The club has the best academy in the country, with current young Georgian internationals – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giorgi Chakvetadze, Zuriko Davitasvhili and Giorgi Mamardashvili coming in from the academy system of the club. Plenty of guys with decent potential are expected to assigned to the first team in future as well and that’s why I think they’re the most interesting and scouting-worthy club in the country. Have to mention Dinamo Batumi as well, with them being the current title holders, and having the best fanbase in the league (would recommend looking up).

Finally, FC Ameri Tbilisi, will they ever re-emerge, maybe as a phoenix club, or is the club gone for good?

Luka: As far as Ameri’s existence goes, they tried to form an academy in 2011-2012, but that didn’t last for long. The only way the club can re-emerge, is if an enthusiastic businessman emerges from somewhere and tries to re-establish the club once again.

FC Ameri Tbilisi were a club that surprised me a lot. Only around for seven years but collected two Georgian cups and a second division title in that short time. We have of course seen that type of success before with other clubs who were short in their existence but it was a little bit different with FC Ameri. You could feel, just even reading about them, that they were a club who could dominate for a long time if they did everything right on the pitch. Unfortunately, like most of the clubs I write about in this book, they didn’t do the right things off the pitch and because of that they are no longer with us. It seems a shame as their could have been a real rivalry created with FC Zestofoni, something that could have attracted a lot of attention to the Georgian football league and maybe captured the imagination of fans further abroad. It wasn’t to be, but one thing is for certain, FC Ameri defiantly left their mark on Georgian football, not least of all with the fans of FC Zestafoni. Rematch anyone?