FC Margveti 2006

FC Margveti 2006 is a Georgian association football club from Zestafoni, promoted to the fourth tier of Georgian league system following the 2020 season.
History.
Clubs of Zestafoni.
Since 1990, when independent leagues were formed, the city of Zestafoni has been represented by several clubs in Georgian football divisions. 
● FC Margveti spent eight seasons in Umaglesi Liga in 1990s, twice reaching semifinals of the national Cup and once finishing the second, which paved the way for participation in UEFA Cup preliminary round. However, facing a severe financial crisis, the club went bust in 2000.
● Metallurgi, bearing the name of a Soviet-time football club from Zestafoni, re-emerged instead. Being participant of two top flight seasons between 2001 and 2003, they, too, ceased to exist for the same reason. 
● FC Zestafoni, founded in 2004, achieved a remarkable success in late 2000s and early 2010s, becoming a dominant force along with Dinamo Tbilisi. The two-times champions and the Cup title holders, however, due to various reasons faded away gradually after 2014. 
Margveti 2006.
Margveti 2006 were formed as a municipal club on the basis of a local football school, where at one point 268 pupils were engaged in football, participating in different regional and republican competitions. As for the professional club, they've taken part in the third division and below only. 
In 2015/16 and 2016 seasons Margveti were close to the promotion to Pirveli Liga. Ucha Sosiashvili, famous for his Dila Gori triumph in 2015 as a manager, became head coach in August 2017 for several months.
In contrast with previous seasons, in 2017 the club was involved in the relegation round. Although Margveti seemed favourites in a play-off tie against Samgurali-2, they surprisingly lost the game, which led to the exit of manager Gia Guruli and 13 field players. The club continued to play in Regionuli Liga for the next three years. 
Margveti 2006 finished as runners-up in the 2020 season in Group A West, which enabled them to participate in Liga 4 for 2021.
City derby.
Relations with FC Zestafoni can hardly be described as easy. In 2015 a media row erupted after Ilia Kokaya, the owner of the club, slammed Margveti 2006 for cronyism and unfair privileges, and suggested that the local authorities were seeking to deliberately sink FC Zestafoni at the expense of this municipal club. Margveti hit out at him by dismissing all the allegations as rumours. 
In 2018 and 2019 these two clubs played in the same regional league group. While in the first season Margveti won both games (1-0 and 2-0), the only match between the sides a year later ended 2-7.
As far as they both are represented in Liga 4 now, their rivalry is likely to resume in 2021. 
Stadium.
Due to unavailability of a football ground in the city, the club hires a pitch in neighbouring Kharagauli district. The construction of a municipal stadium, which was repeatedly announced, is yet to commence.
Name.
Margveti, also mentioned as Argveti in historic annals, was a duchy between VIII and XI centuries on large swaths of current Imereti region.
External links.
Page on Facebook