# FC Locomotive Tbilisi

FC Locomotive Tbilisi, commonly referred to as Lokomotivi or simply Loco, is a Georgian professional football club based Tbilisi. The club competes in the Erovnuli Liga 2, the second tier of Georgian football.
During the existence of the USSR the club was a part of the Lokomotiv Voluntary Sports Society. The club has strong connections with the Georgian Railways.

## History

Locomotive was founded on 14 August 1936 as a part of Lokomotiv sports society. The club won Georgian championship in 1937, which gave them the permission to participate in USSR Top League. Their debut season in the highest level of the Soviet football championship came in 1938, where the club took 24th place out of 26 and got relegated. However, the Tbilisi-based club managed to get another promotion during the following season and participated in 1940 Soviet Top League. But they were eventually disqualified from the tournament. These were the only seasons when Locomotive managed to take part in the top league.
From the following years until the dissolution of USSR, the club moved between the lower divisions, played in the second the third divisions of the Soviet football championship.
Nodar Akhalkatsi, the coach of FC Dinamo Tbilisi and one of the most successful managers in the Soviet football, started his managing career in Locomotive. He managed the club from 1967 to 1970.
Since the post-Soviet era, Locomotive is one of the regular members of Erovnuli Liga. However, the club failed to win the championship. They were runners-up twice: in 2000-01 and in 2001–02 Umaglesi Liga. The club won Georgian Cup three times: in 2000, in 2002 and in 2005.
Some notable players of the club are: Levan Kenia, Levan Tskitishvili, Zurab Khizanishvili, Giorgi Arabidze, Giorgi Aburjania, Valeri Abramidze, Juan Diego González-Vigil, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Endika Bordas.

## Honours

* Erovnuli Liga
** Winners (3): 1937, 1945, 1956
** Runners-up (3): 1943, 2000-01, 2001-02
* Georgian Cup
** Winners (3): 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2004–05
** Runners-up (2): 2000-01, 2019
* Georgian Super Cup
** Runners-up (1): 2005

## European cups

| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Cup | QR | Linfield | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| 1999–00 | UEFA Cup | 1R | PAOK | 0–7 | 0–2 |
| 2000–01 | UEFA Cup | QR | Slovan | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| 2001–02 | UEFA Cup | QR | Birkirkara | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| 2002–03 | UEFA Cup | QR | Copenhagen | 1–4 | 1–3 |
| 2005–06 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Banants | 0–2 | 3–2 |
| 2008 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1Q | Etzella | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Universitatea Craiova | 2–1 | — |
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q | Dynamo Moscow | 2–1 | — |
| 2020–21 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q | Granada | — | 0–2 |

## Players
### Current squad

As of 19 January 2025.
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 |
| 3 | DF | GEO | Tornike Molashvili |
| 5 | MF | GEO | Sandro Shetsiruli |
| 6 | MF | ZAM | Frank Chileshe |
| 10 | MF | GEO | Luka Kekelidze |
| 11 | FW | GEO | Lasha Kalandadze |
| 12 | GK | GEO | Luka Khelashvili |
| 14 | MF | GHA | Dennis Amoako |
| 16 | MF | GEO | Sandro Shashiashvili |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | FW | GEO | Aleksandre Turkia |
| 18 | MF | GEO | Ioane Tabatadze |
| 22 | DF | GEO | Davit Bukia |
| 26 | MF | GEO | Gegi Geguchadze |
| 30 | MF | GEO | Lasha Menteshashvili |
| 36 | MF | ZAM | Bonephaneso Phiri |
| 40 | DF | GEO | Rati Mchedlishvili |
| — | MF | GEO | Givi Mukbaniani |

## Reserve team

Lokomotive II — participant in a number of seasons in the second and third most important leagues in Georgia. Reached the final of the 2022 Georgian Cup as a fourth league team.

## Personnel
### Current technical staff

| Position | Staff |
| Head coach | Giorgi Geguchadze Jr. |
| Assistant coaches | Davit Babuadze |
| Assistant coaches | Dachi Popkhadze |
| Chief Analyst | Dimitri Topuridze |
| Fitness coach | Tamaz Babilodze |
* Last updated: 11 January 2024
* Source:

### Management

| Position | Staff |
| President | Alex Topuria |
| Technical Director | Giorgi Kipiani |
| Academy Manager | Davit Kipiani |
| Director and Chief security officer | Erekle Chotalishvili |
| Financial Manager | Gia Rapava |
| Financial Consultant | Maia Sarajishvili |
| Match Manager | Shota Gogitauri |
| Media Officer | Tsotne Kinkladze |
| Fan and Public Relations Officer | Levan Chotalishvili |
| Financier | Lia Mandzulashvili |
| Licensing and Transfers Manager | Nino Kutateladze |
| Academy head coach | Giorgi Minashvili |
* Last updated: 11 January 2024
* Source: