FC Zana ( ka, საფეხბურთო კლუბი ზანა) is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in the town of

Abasha Abasha ( ka, აბაშა) is a town in western Georgia with a population of 4,941. It is situated between the rivers of Abasha and Noghela, at 23m above sea level and is located some to the west of Tbilisi. The settlement of ''Abasha'' acq ...

. Following the 2023 season, they won promotion to Liga 4, the forth tier of the

national league system The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of The Football Association. The National League System has a h ...

History

The third tier is the highest division where Zana have taken part since the formation of independent Georgian championship in 1990. The team gained promotion to

Meore Liga Liga 3, organized by Georgian Football Federation since 1990, is the third division of professional football in Georgia. Until 2017, when the current name was introduced, it was known as Meore Liga (the Second league). Structure and league sys ...

in 2015, although their tenure there lasted two seasons. Following their relegation in 2016, Zana spent seven seasons in

Regionuli Liga Regionuli Liga (Georgian: რეგიონული ლიგა), run by Georgian Football Federation since 1990, is the fifth and lowest division of the Georgian league system after Erovnuli Liga, Erovnuli Liga 2, Liga 3 and Liga 4. Its parti ...

. Zana came 3rd in their group tournament three times in four years, including in 2022, when the team was chasing promotion up until the last match. However, having lost a crucial game, they failed to overcome their two rivals and qualify for

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

. This season the club turned out to be the only fifth-division side to have prevailed over four opponents in the Cup campaign and progressed into the round of 16 for the first time in their history. The next year Zana finished 2nd in the western zone of the regional league tournament in 2023, which implied winning a

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

qualifying spot. Following a 2–1 win over ''UG-35'', the club earned promotion to the 4th league for 2024. The team is also a regular participant of the annual Western Cup competition, organized by the regional Football Federation of

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 munic ...

. Zana won it in 2020.

Seasons

Squad

''As of September 2022''

Stadium

Zana play their home matches at a 1,000-seater stadium named after Mevlud Miminoshvili (1942–2023). Born in Abasha, he was a

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

referee, working in the

Soviet Top League The Soviet Top League, known after 1970 as the Higher League (russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу: Высшая лига), served as the top division of Soviet Union football from 1936 until 1991. The professional top level ...

for ten seasons in the 1980s.

References

External links

Profile on Soccerway

Page in Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zana Abasha Football clubs in Georgia (country) Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti