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Digicel Football Cup brings best of the Caribbean together

Sunday, January 14 2007

IT HAS BEEN a busy week between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.

First our cricket team was beaten over there last weekend, as we began our defence of the Carib Beer Series Cup. However, two days later we rose to beat the Bajans in the KFC Cup one-day match.

The ?decider? in the week?s sports against the Bajans was played on Friday night at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, in the opening match of the Digicel Caribbean Cup.

The other match of that double-header featured Haiti against Martinique. This column is being written before the kick-offs, so I cannot comment on the matches, or on the opening parade and entertainment.

By now those of you who went to the Hasely Crawford Stadium, as well as people all over the Caribbean and beyond, who saw it all live on TV, can tell your friends about the experience.

Haiti only qualified for the finals this week, playing two matches against Bermuda at the Ato Boldon Stadium. Haiti won both matches ? two-nil, and three-nil ? and showed that they are going to be a force in our Group, the Sedley Joseph Group. Haiti?s football is definitely on the rise. Last year, I wrote about their Under-16 Team, calling them ?Those Dancing Haitians,? for their dancing to steelband at the President?s House, and then dancing to win the Caribbean Youth Cup, beating reigning World Under-17 Champions Mexico in the final.

Haiti also eliminated TT from the CAC Under-21 Games last year and then beat us here in the CFU Under-20 qualifiers.

The Bajans always play their best against us, and we know the class of Martinique, so we are in a very strong group. The other four teams, playing at Manny Ramjohn Stadium in the Bobby Sookram Group are Cuba, Guadeloupe, a rising Guyana, coached by former TT Women?s coach Jamaal Shabazz, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

This is also a strong group, and it is difficult to predict the two teams from each group which will move on to the semi-finals. However, the final eight teams in the tournament are a good mix of the Caribbean?s culture, language and background. Three French-speaking, four English speaking and one Spanish language country qualified for the final tournament, which is being played from Friday 12 through Tuesday 23 of January.

Digicel Group, the sponsors of the Caribbean Football Union organised tournament, is bringing a new dimension to the promotion of the tournament.

They have provided the highest prize money sponsorship in Caribbean history, and are working with the Local Organising Committee to ensure the best ever tournament as well.

The four semi-finalists will qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be played in the United States in July. Since TT does not have access to our UK-based players for the Caribbean tournament, the responsibility for qualifying rests upon some new and younger players.

On the subject of player-availability, it was a great relief to see that Jabloteh players were back in training this week, and that the coach accepted them back. Thank you Jabloteh.

Today, as you read this, the tournament moves to south Trinidad, at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium with Cuba meeting Guadeloupe at 5 pm and then Guyana playing St Vincent at 7.15 pm.

It is a big day for Guyanese in Trinidad, for their cricket team is engaged in their Carib Beer Shield match against TT at the Guaracara Park in Pointe-a-Pierre, not far from the Manny Ramjohn Stadium.

Guyanese attending the cricket ? indeed everyone attending the cricket match ? can complete their sporting day by heading down to the football.

The football continues all this week, at both Hasely Crawford and Manny Ramjohn, with the semi-finals on the coming weekend, so do check the ?papers for the schedules.

The original entrance prices have been greatly reduced, under persuasion from the title sponsors Digicel Group. At $50 and $20 for each double-header, patrons have been whisked back to the early 1990s!

This is the only item in any ?basket of goods? where the price has been reduced, and reduced considerably too! So you need to collect your family and friends, and take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy and support the Soca Warriors as they seek to return to dominance against the ?Dancing Haitians? and the rest of the best in the Caribbean.

Thanks again to Digicel, the matches are being televised live through the Caribbean, and will be seen, delayed, in several countries around the world.

You want your Granny to see the games live here in TT? Take your family and friends and fill the stadium and you might get that wish for Granny!