# 1996–97 Umaglesi Liga

The 1996–97 Umaglesi Liga was the eighth season of top-tier football in Georgia. It began on 1 August 1996 and ended on 30 May 1997. Dinamo Tbilisi were the defending champions.

## League standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dinamo Tbilisi (C) | 30 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 101 | 23 | +78 | 81 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Kolkheti-1913 Poti | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 75 | 28 | +47 | 64 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dinamo Batumi | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 62 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 4 | Merani-91 Tbilisi | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 53 | 28 | +25 | 60 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup group stage |
| 5 | Torpedo Kutaisi | 30 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 70 | 58 | +12 | 46 | |
| 6 | Odishi Zugdidi | 30 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 40 | |
| 7 | Margveti Zestaponi | 30 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 44 | 66 | −22 | 38 | |
| 8 | Dila Gori | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 37 | |
| 9 | Sioni Bolnisi | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 36 | |
| 10 | Metalurgi Rustavi | 30 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 35 | |
| 11 | Samgurali Tskaltubo | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 54 | −19 | 35 | |
| 12 | TSU Tbilisi | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 34 | |
| 13 | Guria Lanchkhuti | 30 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 33 | |
| 14 | Samtredia (R) | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 31 | 57 | −26 | 26 | Relegation to Pirveli Liga |
| 15 | Kakheti Telavi (R) | 30 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 29 | 66 | −37 | 26 | Relegation to Pirveli Liga |
| 16 | Iveria Khashuri (R) | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 24 | 61 | −37 | 21 | Relegation to Pirveli Liga |
* 1 2 5 points deducted

## Results

| Home \ Away | DIL | DBA | DIN | GUR | IKH | KTL | KOL | MZS | MER | MET | ODI | SMG | SAM | SIO | TKU | TSU |
| Dila Gori | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 |
| Dinamo Batumi | 5–0 | | 0–1 | 7–0 | 4–0 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 4–0 | 3–3 | | 2–0 | 8–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 8–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 6–0 | 6–0 | 4–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 |
| Guria Lanchkhuti | 3–2 | 0–5 | 1–4 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 5–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Iveria Khashuri | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | | 0–2 | 2–6 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 2–1 |
| Kakheti Telavi | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 1–0 | | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Kolkheti-1913 Poti | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 7–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | | 7–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 4–0 | 6–2 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Margveti Zestaponi | 2–1 | 1–3 | 0–6 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Merani-91 Tbilisi | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 5–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 |
| Metalurgi Rustavi | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–6 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 5–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Odishi Zugdidi | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 5–1 | | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2–0 |
| Samgurali Tskaltubo | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Samtredia | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Sioni Bolnisi | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–1 | | 2–4 | 2–0 |
| Torpedo Kutaisi | 5–0 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | 1–4 | 5–2 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 |
| TSU Tbilisi | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | |
* ↑ Match awarded (originally finished 2–1).

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Goalscorer | Team | Goals |
| 1 | David Ujmajuridze | Dinamo Batumi | 26 |
| 1 | Giorgi Demetradze | Dinamo Tbilisi | 26 |
| 3 | Mikheil Ashvetia | Torpedo Kutaisi | 24 |
| 4 | Vladimir Gabedava | Odishi Zugdidi | 18 |
| 4 | Levan Khomeriki | Dinamo Tbilisi | 18 |
| 6 | Giorgi Daraselia | Kolkheti-1913 Poti | 15 |
| 7 | Merab Megreladze | Torpedo Kutaisi | 13 |
| 7 | Nugzar Mikaberidze | Kolkheti-1913 Poti | 13 |
| 9 | Badri Kvaratskhelia | Merani-91 Tbilisi | 11 |
| 9 | Mamuka Ukleba | Margveti Zestaponi | 11 |
| 9 | Rostom Torgashvili | Dinamo Batumi | 11 |