Third Digicel international match announced
Caribbean Net News
Published on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad: Digicel have now gone one further and added a third international friendly game to the Digicel International Match series of football friendlies in the March FIFA football time frame.
The announcement comes just weeks after the visiting side Trinidad and Tobago had their international campaign interrupted due to financial constraints they were facing, but Digicel, who have invested the largest sums of money in the development of football and sport in the Caribbean than ever experienced before, have financed the development of this game
The game comes after the initially proposed game for T&T against Venezuela was called off and Digicel stepped into the breach to save the day by ensuring that the national football team had a game to play by arranging the match against Guadeloupe.
Digicel’s Group Sponsorship Manager Kieran Foley commented, “We are delighted to be in a position to support our own Digicel Caribbean Cup qualifiers to the CONCACAF Gold Cup. After visiting so many countries and appreciating the massive development of football in terms of crowds, support and even footballing technique of the teams, we believe it important to further support our sides after their grueling qualification from the largest ever Caribbean football tournament that was the Digicel Caribbean Cup.”
The fact that we can assist the TTFF in their progression of developing last years World Cup side is extremely gratifying especially when we are pitting them up against Guadeloupe who are excitedly preparing for their first ever Gold Cup participation.
The Digicel International Match is taking place in association with the Guadeloupe Football League and will take place in the French West Indies on March 24th next.
Commenting on the game and the series of Digicel International Matches, CFU President Jack Warner said, “The development of the Digicel International Matches provides further evidence of Digicel’s commitment to football in the Caribbean region. After what was a spectacular Digicel Caribbean Cup, the series of proposed games brought to the people of the region by Digicel are crucial progressions in the development of the teams in the Caribbean not just for the CONCACAF Gold Cup games but pre World Cup qualifying games.”
After what was a great year for football in Guadeloupe after beating arch rivals and neighbours Martinique quite convincingly earlier in the year in the first round of the Digicel Caribbean Cup, and now having qualified for the first time to the CONCACAF Gold Cup courtesy of their fourth placed position in the Digicel Caribbean Cup, the FWI side are looking forward to competing against one of the Caribbean’s top sides
Looking forward to the game, President Guy Roch of the Guadeloupe Football league commented , “As this is our first time to compete in the Gold Cup we realize how important our preparations are to fully support the massive interest and excitement that this opportunity has brought sweeping across our country. The people at Digicel have invested massive sums of money to help assist first our qualification to the tournament and now going a step further by ensuring we are properly prepared. We have been fortunate to have two group stages of the Digicel Caribbean Cup in the French West Indies and now further investment by Digicel to bring more football to the region is just great news.”
The 2006/7 Digicel Caribbean Cup was the largest ever football tournament in the Caribbean with 24 nations scoring 232 goals in 69 matches culminating in Haiti’s defeat of hosts Trinidad in the final. Guadeloupe were pipped to third spot by the CFU number one ranked side Cuba but qualified to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in fourth position.
The Copa de Naciones Digicel 2007, staged in Digicel’s newest territory El Salvador, ended in high drama with Costa Rica beating Panama in a penalty shoot-out in the final although perhaps the most compelling game was the eventual winners’ semi-final defeat of the hosts El Salvador in front of a capacity 42,000 crowd.
