FC Betlemi Keda

Betlemi Keda
Full nameFC Betlemi Keda
Founded1950; 74 years ago (1950)
GroundArchil Partenadze Stadium, Keda
Capacity1,000
OwnerTekto Group
ChairmanTornike Apkhazava
ManagerNika Diasamidze
LeagueLiga 3
20248th of 16 in Liga 3

FC Betlemi (Georgian: საფეხბურთო კლუბი ბეთლემი) is a Georgian football club based in the town of Keda, Adjara.

The history of Betlemi goes back to the Soviet times. Since the club's revival in 2010, they have drifted between the second and forth tiers. Following a highly successful 2023 season they won promotion to Liga 3.

The club plays home matches at the local central stadium named after late captain Archil Partenadze in 2015.

History

Formed in 1950, Betlemi competed in regional competitions of the Georgian Soviet league. The club showed their best result in the Cup during the first season in 1990 when they reached the 5th round. In the mid-1990s the team was dissolved for more than a decade.[1]

In the 2011/12 season, Betlemi under manager Edisher Kakabadze gained promotion to Pirveli Liga for the first time, where they spent four successive seasons. In April 2015, the whole Georgian football world was shocked to hear about sudden death of team's captain Archil Partenadze during the training session.[2]

The next season turned out crucial. Despite an encouraging start and reaching the promotion area at the winter break, a wretched run of form later led to the manager's exit.[3] The team was soon embroiled in a match-fixing scandal and subjected to severe punishment. While a life-long ban on football activity was meted out to five individuals, including four players, Betlemi were expelled from the league.[4] Following this decision and a major purge, the management as well as eighteen players were replaced.[5]

Betlemi managed to successfully recover from the crisis and complete the 2016 season on top of the table, but as none of the league winners were promoted this year, the club remained in the third division. In 2019, five bottom teams were involved in a fierce relegation battle up until the last round. Eventually, after one victory in last eight games, Betlemi hit rock bottom.[6]

The team was among the top five in the initial three seasons in Liga 4. In 2021 and 2022, Betlemi participated in the promotion battle, although in both cases they finished just one place below the qualifying slot.

By the summer of 2023, the team had produced a 24-game unbeaten streak in both competitions stretching from the previous September. In a record-breaking achievement for all four national division clubs this season, Amiran Mujiri's men secured fourteen wins in as many matches, including twelve of them with a large margin, and reached an astonishing 60:2 goal difference. In late September, with eighteen wins in 19 games now, Betlemi notched up an unprecedented success for Georgian football history: along with fellow Adjarian club Gonio, they sealed promotion two months before the end of the season with seven games still in hand.[7]

In early June 2023, striker Amiran "Tato" Abuselidze became the first player who netted his 100th goal for Betlemi. Eventually, with 28 goals he became the top goalscorer of this season.

In November 2023, the club as a municipal entity was handed over to the Tekto Group Real Estate Construction and Development company for a 29 year-long period.[8]

Seasons

Year League Pos Pld W D L GF–GA Pts Notes
2012/13 Pirveli Liga, Group A 10/12 33 10 5 18 40-76 35
2013/14 Pirveli Liga, Group B 11/14 26 7 3 16 28-50 24
2014/15 Pirveli Liga, Group B 4/10 36 14 7 15 51-50 49
2015/16 Pirveli Liga 14/18 34 12 4 18 41-65 40 Expelled
2016 Liga 3 1/8 14 11 1 2 45-15 34
2017 Liga 3, Red Group 4/10 18 7 7 4 34-20 28
Promotion Group 8/10 18 4 4 10 23-44 16
2018 Liga 3 10/20 38 14 9 15 52-58 51
2019 Liga 3 10/10 36 10 8 18 40-62 38 Relegated
2020 Liga 4, White Group 5/8 14 4 4 6 20-28 16
2021 Liga 4, White Group 3/10 18 10 2 6 32-17 32
Promotion Group 5/10 18 8 2 8 23-23 26
2022 Liga 4 4/16 30 20 3 7 60-29 63
2023 Liga 4 2/14 26 21 2 3 99-16 65 Promoted
2024 Liga 3 8/16 30 12 5 13 49–61 41

Current squad

As of 31 August 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Georgia (country) GEO Kakhaber Meshveliani
4 DF Georgia (country) GEO Sulkhan Kakhidze (C)
5 DF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Germozashvili
7 FW Georgia (country) GEO Nikoloz Gabadze
9 DF Georgia (country) GEO Beka Khimshiashvili
10 MF Georgia (country) GEO Nika Kvantaliani
11 FW Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Kakhiani
12 DF Georgia (country) GEO Nikoloz Turmanidze
13 MF Georgia (country) GEO Gela Gogitidze
17 MF Georgia (country) GEO Giorgi Kutelia
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF Georgia (country) GEO Dato Kurshubadze
20 DF Georgia (country) GEO Davit Samsonia
21 DF Georgia (country) GEO Davit Gambarovi
22 MF Georgia (country) GEO Beka Chkuaseli
23 DF Georgia (country) GEO Irakli Kromlidi
27 FW Georgia (country) GEO Zura Beridze
30 MF Georgia (country) GEO Rezo Maisaia
39 FW   Fabian Durand King
40 GK Georgia (country) GEO Zurab Kekelidze
— DF Georgia (country) GEO Davit Gambashidze
— MF Georgia (country) GEO Levan Metreveli

Honours

• Meore Liga

Winner (1): 2016 (West B)

Managers

Name From To
Georgia (country) Avtandil Kunchulia 2016 2016
Georgia (country) Amiran Gogitidze 2016 2017
Georgia (country) Irakli Gogichaishvili 2018 2018
Georgia (country) Avtandil Kunchulia 2018 2019
Georgia (country) Irakli Gogichaishvili 2020 2020
Georgia (country) Amiran Gogitidze 2021 2022
Georgia (country) Amiran Mujiri 2023 2024
Georgia (country) Vako Tevdoradze 2024 2024
Georgia (country) Nika Diasamidze 2024

Stadium

Betlemi's home ground is a 1,000-seat stadium in Keda, named after Archil Partenadze. Some reconstruction works were launched there in August 2020.[9]

Name

Betlemi is a Georgian word for biblical Bethlehem.

References

  1. ^ "ქედის "ბეთლემი" პირველ ლიგაში". batumelebi.netgazeti.ge (in Georgian), 11 September 2012. 11 September 2012.
  2. ^ "ქედის ცენტრალურ სტადიონს არჩილ ფარტენაძის სახელი მიენიჭა". fanebi.com (in Georgian), 11 April 2015.
  3. ^ "ბეთლემის" მწვრთნელი გადადგა". adjaratv.ge (in Georgian), 15 April 2016.
  4. ^ "როგორ ხდება საქართველოში გარიგებული მატჩის ამოცნობა". bpn.ge (in Georgian), 23 November 2016.
  5. ^ "ქედის "ბეთლემი" 18 ფეხბურთელის გარეშე". adjaratv.ge (in Georgian), 5 July 2016.
  6. ^ "ქედის საფეხბურთო კლუბი ლიგა 4-ში ჩამოქვეითდა". adjaratv.ge (in Georgian), 29 November 2019.
  7. ^ "უპრეცედენტო ფაქტი - "ბეთლემმა" და "გონიომ" ლიგა 3-ის საგზური სეზონის დასრულებამდე ორი თვით ადრე მოიპოვეს". 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 28 September 2023.
  8. ^ "ამონაწერი მეწარმეთა და არასამეწარმეო (არაკომერციული) იურიდიული პირების რეესტრიდან". companyinfo.ge (in Georgian). 7 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  9. ^ "ქედის ცენტრალურ სტადიონს რეაბილიტაცია უტარდება". expressnews.ge (in Georgian), 19 August 2020.