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FC Betlemi is a Georgian football club based in the town of Keda. The team currently takes part in Liga 4, the fourth division of Georgian league system.

Betlemi Keda

Full name	FC Betlemi Keda
Ground	Archil Partenadze Stadium, Keda
Capacity	1,000
Manager	Amiran Gogitidze
League	Liga 4
2021	5th in Liga 4 Promotion Group
Home colours Away colours

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 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 Betlemi 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 club 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 the last eight games, Betlemi hit rock bottom.[6]

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

Seasons

Year	League	Pos	MP	W	D	L	GF–GA	P	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	Relegated
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

Current squad

As of June 2021

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GEO Roman Takidze 2 DF  GEO Nika Diasamidze 3 DF  GEO Giorgi Pagava 4 DF  GEO Sulkhan Kakhidze 5 DF  GEO Rezo Maisaia 6 MF  GEO Giorgi Bidzinashvili 7 FW  GEO Mikheil Davitadze (C) 8 MF  GEO Irakli Msakhuradze 9 FW  GEO Tato Abuselidze 10 MF  GEO Roman Rukhadze

No. Pos. Nation Player 11 MF  GEO Nika Chikhradze 13 GK  GEO Levan Kontselidze 14 MF  GEO Erekle Malazonia 15 DF  GEO Beka Kakhidze 17 DF  GEO Giorgi Kutelia 18 DF  GEO Giorgy Loria 20 FW  GEO Nika Mamulidze 21 DF  GEO Nukri Zoidze 23 MF  GEO Davit Nakashidze

Manager

Amiran Gogitidze, born in 1964, is known for his successful spell at Matchakhela, Dinamo Batumi and Shukura. He took charge of Betlemi in late 2021.

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.[7]

Name

Betlemi is a Georgian word for biblical Bethlehem.

References

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