Georgia national football team

Georgia

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	"ჯვაროსნები" "Jvarosnebi" (Crusaders)
Association	Georgian Football Federation
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Temuri Ketsbaia
Captain	Kakhaber Kaladze
Most caps	Levan Kobiashvili (87)
Top scorer	Shota Arveladze (26)
Home stadium	Boris Paichadze Stadium
FIFA code	GEO
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	75
Highest	42 (September 1998)
Lowest	152 (March 1994)
First international
Georgia 2 - 2 Lithuania (Tbilisi, Georgia; May 27, 1990)
Biggest win
Georgia 7 - 0 Armenia (Tbilisi, Georgia; March 30, 1997)
Biggest defeat
Denmark 6 - 1 Georgia (Copenhagen, Denmark; September 7, 2005)

The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major tournament from Euro 96 onwards, but have not yet achieved qualification.

Georgia's home games are played at the Boris Paichadze Stadium in Tbilisi.

History

The history of Georgia national football team begins in 1990,when the best georgian footballers played their first match against Lithuania,for lituania was the first country which responded to the call of the Georgfian.This match held on May 27,1990 in Boris Paichadze stadium.The team's players were:Baladze,Ketashvili,Tskhadadze,Kudinovi,Pirtskhalava,Nadiradze,Ketsbaia,Z.Revishvili,O.Korghalidze, Guruli,Pantsulaia,coached by Givi Nodia.Friendly match ended with draw-2:2.This was only match prior to declare independence on April 9,1991.Since Georgian national football team played another match successfully against Moldova.

The Georgian Football Federation became a member of both UEFA and FIFA in 1992, enabling Georgia to play competitive matches. The first of these came in September 1994, a 1-0 defeat to Moldova as part of the qualifiers for Euro 96. Georgia finished third in their group, ahead of Moldova and Wales, but seven points behind second-placed qualifiers Bulgaria. Georgia failed to qualify World cup in France, obtained 10 points and finished in the fourth place shared points with Poland,for the Polish had more coefficients than Georgians East-Slavonians held the third position.Very pleasent fact was that Georgia national football team was in the fourty-two place in FIFA ranking.

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1994 - Did not enter, was part of USSR
• 1998 to 2010 - Did not qualify

European Championship record

• 1960 to 1992 - Did not enter, was part of USSR
• 1996 to 2008 - Did not qualify

Manager History

• Giga Norakidze (1992)
• Aleksandr Chivadze (1993-1996)
• Vladimir Gutsaev (1996)
• David Kipiani (1997)
• Vladimir Gutsaev (1998)
• Gigla Imnadze (1998, caretaker)
• Vladimir Gutsaev (1998-1999)
• Johan Boskamp (1999)
• David Kipiani and Revaz Dzodzuashvili (2000-2001)
• Aleksandr Chivadze (2001-2003)
• Ivo Šušak (2003)
• Merab Jordania (2003)
• Gocha Tqhebuchava (2004)
• Alain Giresse (2004-2005)
• Gayoz Darsadze (2005)
• Klaus Toppmöller (2006-2008)
• Héctor Cúper (2008-2009)
• Temuri Ketsbaia (2010-present)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Main article: UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group F

Most capped Georgia players

As of March 27, 2008, the ten players with the most caps for Georgia are:

#	Name	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Levan Kobiashvili	1996-	87	10
2	Georgi Nemsadze	1992-2004	69	0
3	Kakha Kaladze	1996-	65	1
=3	Zurab Khizanishvili	1999-	65	0
5	Gocha Jamarauli	1994-2004	62	6
6	Shota Arveladze	1997-2007	60	26

Top Georgia goalscorers

As of March 27, 2008, the seven players with the most goals for Georgia are:

#	Player	Career	Goals (Caps)
1	Shota Arveladze	1997-2007	26 (60)
2	Temuri Ketsbaia	1991-2002	16 (50)
3	Alexander Iashvili	1998-	14 (47)
4	Giorgi Demetradze	1996-	12 (56)
5	Levan Kobiashvili	1996-	10 (87)
6	Georgi Kinkladze	1991-2005	9 (54)
7	Mikhail Kavelashvili	1994-2002	8 (45)

Recent results and fixtures

Date	Competition	Venue	Home Team	Result	Away Team	Scorers
2010-03-03	Friendly	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi	Georgia	2–1	Estonia	Levan Kobiashvili 45' (pen.) David Siradze 90+4'
2010-05-25	Friendly	Linzer Stadion, Linz	Georgia	0–0	Cameroon
2010-08-11	Friendly	Zimbru Stadium, Chişinău	Moldova	0–0	Georgia
2010-09-03	Euro 2012 Q	Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus	Greece	1–1	Georgia	Aleksandr Iashvili 3'
2010-09-07	Euro 2012 Q	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi	Georgia	0–0	Israel
2010-10-08	Euro 2012 Q	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi	Georgia	1–0	Malta	David Siradze 90+1'
2010-10-12	Euro 2012 Q	Skonto Stadions, Riga	Latvia	1–1	Georgia	David Siradze 74'
2010-11-17	Friendly Match	Slovenia, Koper	Slovenia		Georgia

Current squad

The following 18 players were called up for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Greece and Israel scheduled for 3 and 7 September 2010.

Caps as of 11 August 2010, after the friendly against Moldova

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Nukri Revishvili	(1987-03-02) 2 March 1987	10	0	Anzhi Makhachkala
12	1GK	Giorgi Loria	(1986-01-27) 27 January 1986	6	0	Dinamo Tbilisi
2	2DF	Ucha Lobzhanidze	(1987-02-23) 23 February 1987	16	0	Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
3	2DF	Malkhaz Asatiani	(1981-08-04) 4 August 1981	38	4	Lokomotiv Moscow
4	2DF	Kakha Kaladze (captain)	(1978-02-27) 27 February 1978	70	1	Genoa
5	2DF	Aleksandr Amisulashvili	(1982-08-20) August 20, 1982	12	1	Kayserispor
6	2DF	Zurab Khizanishvili	(1981-10-06) 6 October 1981	67	1	Reading
16	2DF	Lasha Salukvadze	(1981-12-21) 21 December 1981	30	1	Rubin Kazan
7	3MF	Gogita Gogua	(1983-10-04) 4 October 1983	21	1	Spartak Nalchik
8	3MF	Dato Kvirkvelia	(1980-06-27) 27 June 1980	39	0	Rubin Kazan
10	3MF	Levan Kobiashvili	(1977-07-10) 10 July 1977	89	11	Hertha Berlin
13	3MF	Jano Ananidze	(1992-10-10) 10 October 1992	2	0	Spartak Moscow
18	3MF	Tornike Aptsiauri	(1979-11-29) 29 November 1979	4	0	Zestafoni
17	4FW	Giorgi Merebashvili	(1986-08-15) 15 August 1986	12	0	Vojvodina
9	4FW	Alexander Iashvili	(1977-10-23) 23 October 1977	56	13	Karlsruher SC
11	4FW	Vladimir Dvalishvili	(1986-04-20) 20 April 1986	10	4	Maccabi Haifa
14	4FW	David Siradze	(1981-10-21) 21 October 1981	20	5	Spartak Nalchik
15	4FW	Nikoloz Gelashvili	(1985-08-05) 5 August 1985	6	0	Zestafoni

Recent call-ups

The following players were called up to the national team in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Roin Kvaskhvadze	(1989-05-31) 31 May 1989	1	0	Zestafoni	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
GK	Giorgi Lomaia	(1979-08-08) 8 August 1979	45	0	Inter Baku	vs Estonia, 3 March 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Ilia Kandelaki	(1981-12-26) 26 December 1981	14	0	Inter Baku	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Giorgi Shashiashvili	(1979-09-01) 1 September 1979	30	1	Ergotelis	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Guram Kashia	(1987-07-04) 4 July 1987	4	0	Vitesse	vs Estonia, 3 March 2010 (Friendly)
DF	Teymuraz Gongadze	(1985-09-08) 8 September 1985	2	0	Olimpi Rustavi	vs Iceland, 8 September 2009 (Friendly)
MF	Zurab Menteshashvili	(1980-01-30) 30 January 1980	38	1	Hapoel Ashkelon	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
MF	Giorgi Seturidze	(1985-04-08) 8 April 1985	5	0	FK Ganja	vs Iceland 8 September 2009 (Friendly)
FW	Revazi Barabadze	(1988-10-04) 4 October 1988	2	0	Unattached	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Jaba Dvali	(1985-02-08) 8 February 1985	1	0	Zestafoni	vs Cameroon, 25 May 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Otar Martsvaladze	(1984-07-14) 14 July 1984	12	2	Volga Nizhny Novgorod	vs Estonia, 3 March 2010 (Friendly)
FW	Mate Vatsadze	(1988-12-17) 17 December 1988	1	0	Dinamo Tbilisi	vs Estonia, 3 March 2010 (Friendly)

External links

• Georgian Football Federation
• RSSSF archive of results 1990-