FC Sioni Bolnisi
FC Sioni Bolnisi is a Georgian football club based in Bolnisi, currently in Liga 2, the second tier of Georgian league system. The club was founded in 1936.
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| Full name | Football Club Sioni Bolnisi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 | ||
| Ground | Tamaz Stephania Stadium, Bolnisi | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 | ||
| Chairman | Zviad Kirkitadze | ||
| Manager | Armaz Jeladze | ||
| League | Erovnuli Liga 2 | ||
| 2020 | 7th | ||
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History
In domestic leagues
After spending several years in the lower divisions of Georgian football between 1990 and 1995, Sioni won promotion to Umaglesi Liga for the 1995/96 season and played there regularly until 2017.
In the 2003/04 season, Sioni and FC WIT Georgia shared the first position in the league, and the title was decided in a championship playoff. WIT won the game 2–0, but the crowd violence during the match led UEFA to ban Sioni from the UEFA Cup participation.[1]
However, in 2005/06 Sioni won the league and represented Georgia in the UEFA Champions League 2006-07, where they defeated FK Baku from Azerbaijan in the first qualifying round,[2] but were eliminated by Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia in the second stage, losing 2–0 both home and away.[3]
Аs champions, in January 2007 Sioni participated in CIS Cup in Moscow where they defeated two opponents out of three but failed to qualify for play-offs due to disadvantage in goal difference.[4]
Sioni suffered a decline in 2010s. Although once they finished 3rd, which gave the club a slot for Europa League qualification round, in most cases Sioni ended up in the bottom half. Twice they lost relegation battles and quit the top division.
As of 2020, in all-time table based on performance in Erovnuli Liga Sioni are on the 7th place.[5]
| M | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 746 | 263 | 159 | 324 | 853-1041 | 948 |
Seasons
| Season | Div | FP | Notes | Top goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | I | 9th | ||
| 1996/97 | I | 9th | ||
| 1997/98 | I | 13th | ||
| 1998/99 | I | 13th | ||
| 1999/2000 | I | 6th | Championship Group | |
| 2000/01 | I | 8th | Relegation Group | |
| 2001/02 | I | 8th | Relegation Group | |
| 2002/03 | I | 5th | Championship Group | |
| 2003/04 | I | 2nd | Championship Group | |
| 2004/05 | I | 7th | ||
| 2005/06 | I | 1st | ||
| 2006/07 | I | 6th | ||
| 2007/08 | I | 8th | ||
| 2008/09 | I | 5th | ||
| 2009/10 | I | 6th | Aleksandre Gogoberishvili - 6 | |
| 2010/11 | I | 8th | Revaz Gotsiridze - 7 | |
| 2011/12 | I | 12th | Giorgi Kutsurua - 4 | |
| 2012/13 | I | 10th | Relegation Group | Giorgi Kakhelishvili, Valeri Abramidze, Lado Akhalaia - 4 |
| 2013/14 | I | 3rd | Championship Group | Rezo Jikia - 6 |
| 2014/15 | I | 13th | Data Sichinava - 11 | |
| 2015/16 | I | 5th | Dimitri Tatanashvili - 11 | |
| 2016 | I | 6th | Red Group; Relegation play-off, lost | Davit Volkovi - 6 |
| 2017 | II | 3rd | Promotion play-off, won | Jaba Dvali - 21 |
| 2018 | I | 8th | Relegation play-off, won | Davit Kirkitadze - 6 |
| 2019 | I | 9th | Relegation play-off, lost | Jaba Ugulava - 9 |
| 2020 | II | 7th | Zviad Sikharulia - 4 |
European cup
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | UEFA Cup | QR |  FK Púchov |
0–3 | 0–3 |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  Baku FC |
2–0 | 0–1 |
| 2Q |  PFC Levski Sofia |
0–2 | 0–2 | ||
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Flamurtari |
2–3 | 2–1 |
Managers
Kakhaber Tskhadadze (Dec 31, 2005 – Aug 31, 2006)- Giorgi Kipshidze (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008)
- Otar Korgalidze (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009)
- Teimuraz Makharadze (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2010)
- Giorgi Kipshidze (July 1, 2010 – March 19, 2011)
- Khvicha Kasrashvili (March 18, 2011–1?)
- Vakhtang Chagelishvili (July 1, 2011–1?)
- Levan Bajelidze (Sept 15, 2011 – Jan 12, 2012)
- Khvicha Kasrashvili (Jan 15, 2012 – Aug 27, 2012)
- Armaz Jeladze (Aug 28, 2012 – June 1, 2013)
- Giorgi Kiknadze (June 1, 2013–Oct, 2013)
- Vladimir Burduli (Oct, 2013–)
Current squad
As of 1 September 2018[6] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Sponsors
Rich Metals Group, engaged in mining activities near Bolnisi, signed a first sponsorship contract with Sioni in 2016.[7]
Name
While Sioni is a Georgian equivalent of Zion, the football club is named after Bolnisi Sioni, the fifth century cathedral located near the current municipal centre.
References
- Reuters (2004-06-01). "UEFA Cup ban for Georgian club Sioni". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- "UEFA Champions League History, Season 2006–2007, First qualifying round". uefa.com. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- "UEFA Champions League History, Season 2006–2007, Second qualifying round". uefa.com. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
- "CIS tournament 2007". Wildstat.
- "Overall table of Umaglesi Liga". Wildstat.
- "Sioni Bolnisi roster". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
- "RMG becomes sponsor of Sioni". richemetalgroup.com.