- Dicember, 06 2010 -
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Monday, December 6th 2010 – Fort de France, Martinique: Jamaica were last night crowned Champions of the Digicel Caribbean Cup 2010 after beating Guadeloupe 5-4 on penalties in a nail-biting finale in front of thousands of spectators at the Stade Municipal Pierre Aliker in Martinique.
The Reggae Boys retained their Championship title for the second consecutive time with an unbeaten record in their Group I games. The Boyz beat Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Guadeloupe to make it to last night’s final. Although they lost 2-0 to Jamaica on Monday, the Gwada Boyz put on a different show last night and brought the game to penalties. The home crowd was left disappointed however after a gripping penalty finish when Lamboude failed to make it 5-5.
The tournament – which was officially launched with a glittering press conference in Trinidad on September 24th – ran over nine weeks and encompassed a total of 55 matches played across eight countries. So exciting was the tournament, that a record attendance of 5,500 thousand football fans turned out in Martinique to watch last night’s game, joining millions more watching worldwide on TV.
President of the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF and Vice President of FIFA, Jack Warner, commented; “I am delighted to be here in Martinique to watch what has been yet another thrilling Digicel Caribbean Cup final. We have witnessed some fantastic displays of the beautiful game throughout this year’s tournament and it is clear that the standard of football in the region has improved leaps and bounds since the launch of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. With that, I would like to commend Digicel greatly for its investment in the development of the sport, from grass roots right through to national level. Long may it continue.”
Digicel Group Marketing Director, Kieran Foley, said; “What a fantastic finish to the biggest and best Digicel Caribbean Cup to date. We’ve been privileged to watch some of the most talented footballers from the Caribbean compete over nine weeks culminating in an exhilarating final last night – testament to the development of the sport in the region. Furthermore, the energy, atmosphere and team spirit that have been displayed throughout the tournament embodied our marketing campaign entitled “23 Nations. One Goal” – which supported this year’s tournament. Congratulations to the Reggae Boyz, the DCC Champions 2010.”
Jamaica not only walked away with the title of Digicel Caribbean Cup Champions 2010, but also received a cheque for US$120,000 – the largest cash prize for football in the region. Runners up, Guadeloupe, took home US$70,000 and Cuba in third and Grenada in fourth place took home US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively. The final four also advance to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.
Digicel announced its initial four year sponsorship of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in May 2004 and, in June 2007, extended its contract until 2011. Digicel has been involved in a wide range of football initiatives designed to support the development of football in the Caribbean and Central America. Digicel, which has operations in 32 countries worldwide, sponsors 17 Football Federations and Leagues, as well as the Digicel Kick Start Clinics and the Digicel Caribbean Cup.
For more information, visit www.digicelfootball.com
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ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP
After over nine years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.
Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.
Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.
In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.
Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.
Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more information.