Torpedo Kutaisi
FC Torpedo Kutaisi is a Georgian professional football club founded in 1946 and based in Kutaisi, Georgia's third largest city. The team competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the first tier of the national football league system, and plays their home games at the Ramaz Shengelia Stadium. As the all-time second most successful Georgian club, Torpedo have won the national league four times, the Georgian Cup five times, and the Super Cup three times throughout their history.
History
Overview
General information about the club
FC Torpedo Kutaisi is a Georgian professional football club that has been a regular member of the top division apart from three seasons in the late 2000s. The club was originally founded as a football club of Kutaisi Automobile Factory and has maintained its position as one of Georgia's most successful teams. The team plays at the Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, which was known until 2015 as the Givi Kiladze stadium.
Most recent season and achievements
In recent years, Torpedo has experienced a resurgence under new ownership by New Vision University since 2021. The club ended a four-year trophy drought in 2022 by clinching the national Cup for the fifth time. In May 2023, Steve Kean was appointed as head coach, leading the team to a third-place finish. The following year, Torpedo secured their third Super Cup victory in seven years, demonstrating their return to competitive form.
History
Early years
FC Torpedo Kutaisi were founded in 1946 as a football club of Kutaisi Automobile Factory. In 1949, the club became the winner of the Georgian SSR Championship. A significant development occurred in 1959 when Torpedo merged with FC Locomotive Kutaisi, although they preserved their name. Three years later, Torpedo Kutaisi took part in the Soviet Top League for the first time.
Many famous Georgian football players began their career at this club, including Revaz Dzodzuashvili, Anzor Kavazashvili, Sergo Kutivadze, Givi Nodia, Manuchar Machaidze, and Murtaz Khurtsilava. When Dinamo Tbilisi won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1980–81, five footballers were ex-players of FC Torpedo Kutaisi: Tamaz Kostava, Otar Gabelia, Nodar Khizanishvili, Tengiz Sulakvelidze, and Ramaz Shengelia.
Successful period
The last years of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st were the most successful years in the club's history. During 1999–2002, the club won five domestic titles, becoming the first team to break Dinamo Tbilisi's ten-year hegemony in Umaglesi Liga. Many players from FC Torpedo Kutaisi were represented in the Georgia national football team, including Valeri Abramidze, Sevasti Todua, Malkhaz Asatiani, Levan Silagadze, and Revaz Kemoklidze.
Several famous managers worked at the club during this period, including Jemal Kherkhadze, David Kipiani, Revaz Dzodzuashvili, Otar Gabelia, and Vladimir Gutsaev, both as head coaches and in staff positions.
Crisis and recovery
After the 2004–05 season, the three-times league champions and two-times cup winners went bankrupt following a heavy 5–0 defeat against BATE Borisov in the first qualifying round of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. A new football club "FC Kutaisi Torpedo" was founded but was not the successor of FC Torpedo Kutaisi and inherited no titles. This new entity participated in the Georgian Premier League for two seasons before dropping to Pirveli Liga due to financial reasons.
Torpedo returned to Umaglesi Liga in 2010 after winning the second division in 2009/10. The club signed a sponsorship deal with Wissol Petroleum in June 2010, which lasted until December 2013. During this period, they reached the final of the David Kipiani Cup and added two bronze medals to their tally before winning their first Cup title in 15 years in 2016.
Current period
The period from 2017–2018 marked another successful era when Torpedo won the league for the first time in 15 years in dramatic circumstances. The title battle continued until the dying seconds of the final game, with goalkeeper Roin Kvaskhvadze saving a crucial penalty to secure the championship. They also won the Super Cup and retained the Georgian Cup during this period.
However, financial difficulties returned in 2019, leading to player departures and relegation battles. After ownership changes and periods of instability, the club was purchased by New Vision University in September 2021, bringing financial stability and a gradual return to competitive performance.
Achievements and Honors
Domestic competitions
FC Torpedo Kutaisi has won the Georgian national league four times and the Georgian Cup five times, establishing themselves as the all-time second most successful Georgian club. They have also claimed the Super Cup three times throughout their history, with their most recent Super Cup victory coming in 2024.
Continental and global competitions
Torpedo has participated in UEFA competitions on multiple occasions. During the 2018 season, as champions, they played eight games in UEFA competitions, knocking out two opponents and advancing to the Europa League play-off, where Ludogorets Razgrad claimed victory over them.
Traditional Rivals
Dinamo Tbilisi
In Soviet times, Torpedo Kutaisi was the second strongest Georgian club, with most talented players regularly taken away by Dinamo Tbilisi. After independence, Torpedo became the first to break the ten-year hegemony of Dinamo in Umaglesi Liga, winning five titles between 1999 and 2002. The relationship between the best clubs of Eastern and Western Georgia became tense during this period, with fierce rivalry on the pitch aggravated by skirmishes in the stands.
Notable incidents include a 2014 match in Kutaisi that was abandoned due to clashes between fans, resulting in property damage and ten police detentions. Fans angrily react when players transfer between the clubs, as seen with moves by Levan Kutalia, Giorgi Kukhianidze, Roin Kvaskhvadze, and managers Kakha Chkhetiani and Shalva Gongadze to Dinamo between 2018–20. Despite the tensions, most fans recognize that both clubs need each other as strong rivals for healthy competition in the Erovnuli Liga.
Club Traditions and Behind the Scenes
Ownership and finances
In 2016, FC Torpedo was sold by the local municipality at auction, won by businessman Zaal Chachava, who was declared president of the club. However, financial difficulties led to his departure in 2019. After a brief period under Fabrizio Mannini in 2020, the club was purchased by New Vision University in September 2021, bringing much-needed financial stability.
Stadium
Torpedo play their home games at the Ramaz Shengelia Stadium, which was known until 2015 as the Givi Kiladze stadium. The stadium serves as the home venue for the club's matches in the Erovnuli Liga and domestic cup competitions.