- November, 29 2010 -

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Monday, November 29th 2010 – Fort de France, Martinique: As the Digicel Caribbean Cup finals 2010 continue in Martinique, Cuba are the first qualifiers assured of a semi-final berth in the Digicel Cup 2010. However, one of the Digicel Cup pre-tournament favourites, Trinidad & Tobago, shocked fans when they crashed out of the tournament last night after a second consecutive loss in the Group stage of the finals. Despite a very convincing qualification from Group F, with three undefeated matches – including hammering 2006 Digicel Cup champions, Haiti – the Soca Warriors attempts for the championship title came to a premature end following their 1-0 loss to Grenada. The team’s Coach, Russell Latapy, spoke exclusively to www.digicelfootball.com about his team’s efforts, what went wrong and what the future is for Trinidad & Tobago football.
 
“Firstly, I’m very disappointed. I thought that we had a squad of players that would go further in this tournament. As the coach I can speak for them and we are all disappointed. Firstly, we are disappointed by our performance in our first game and, secondly, by the results of the second game. It is easy to point fingers but the reality is we were much more prepared for the Group stages compared to these games. We never had an opportunity to play a friendly game which would have helped and we only had four training sessions together as a team and I suppose that showed. However, that’s only one aspect, and then there’s the other aspect – if you don’t score goals, you don’t win matches. We created enough opportunities – but finishing them is another story.
 
“I think in the first game we didn’t play as well as we could have, we were very disjointed compared to the last three games in Trinidad when we played as a unit and delivered much better overall. In the second game, I think we were much better, we were much more compact and we created enough opportunities. Grenada did score a wonderful goal but if you look at the stats, so many goals hit the post and, from there, they go anywhere but the Grenada goal went in so there is an element of luck. And, although I think you make your own luck – with willingness, desire and approach – sometimes things just don’t go your way. But when you look at the Grenada goal – if you gave that player 20 more chances to score like that again, it wouldn’t happen, however the second goal against Cuba wasn’t great defending.  
 
“For the second game, it was basically a change of system. In terms of personnel, we had a couple of knocks and injuries so we wanted to bring in players who were physically 100% fit. We went 4-4-2 against Cuba and we weren’t compact enough, so we went 4-5-1 against Grenada and were a bit more compact. Again, we created opportunities but didn’t finish.
 
“The Caribbean teams have improved for reasons such as the way the game has changed and the coaching methods. Everyone is playing to a better level and the physical fitness of most teams is on par which closes the gap even further. As far as Trinidad is concerned, we are in a transitional period. If you look at the team who went to the World Cup in 2006, they were older even then. Most of them played in the 2010 World Cup campaign and were all in their 30s. What I try to do is bring on the young players and that takes time. The older players who I could have chosen may have been too old or two slow. So, it is a case of giving these young guys a chance to play at international level, giving them the chance to see what it’s like. Like anything, it’s a learning experience – and that’s what we did, we learned. We have five or six guys under the age of 22 who all played. The thing is, little by little, you have to bring them in but for us there was not a gradual adjustment unfortunately.
 
“One way or another, it is my responsibility. I stand by my decision and I believe these guys all have a bright career ahead of them in football.
 
“I think in the Caribbean we have always been very talented as technical footballers. Maybe that’s because of the lack of facilities – kids just go out and play. However, the Digicel Kick Start Clinics are a great initiative because it teaches them the basics of the game as well as the tactical elements. You’re not going to see a change overnight in this region but eventually over time with programmes like these, we will develop better players over the long term.
 
“In football, like any other business you live or die by your results. It would be wrong of me to speak on what will happen going forward, but I will sit down with those involved when I get back and we will talk. In the meantime, we have one game left which we will play with pride and commitment and when I’m back in Trinidad, we will take things from there,” he concluded.
 
All matches from the Finals will be aired live throughout the Caribbean along with coverage on FOX Television in North America. Live streaming – as well as radio commentary – is available on www.digicelfootball.com.

For more information – as well as ways to win with Digicel – log onto www.digicelfootball.com, and get the very latest news, images and results as they happen. The site provides all the up-to-date information on every single match and event relating to the Digicel Caribbean Cup, including live match reports, team information and a comprehensive image bank from every match played. In addition, video highlights from stage one and two of the competition are available online showing some of the best action from the top teams throughout the tournament.

The full finals fixtures are as follows:

Group	Date	Time	Venue	Team A	vs.	Team B
FINAL STAGE
H	26/11/2010	18:00	Pierre Aliker, Dillon	Trinidad & Tobago		Cuba
H	26/11/2010	20:30		Martinique		Grenada
I	27/11/2010	17:00	Riviere Pilote Stadium	Guyana		Guadeloupe
I	27/11/2010	19:30		Jamaica		Antigua & Barbuda
H	28/11/2010	16:00	Pierre Aliker, Dillon	Grenada		Trinidad & Tobago
H	28/11/2010	18:30		Martinique		Cuba
I	29/11/2010	18:00	Riviere Pilote Stadium	Antigua & Barbuda		Guyana
I	29/11/2010	20:30		Guadeloupe		Jamaica
H	30/11/2010	18:00	Pierre Aliker, Dillon	Cuba		Grenada
H	30/11/2010	20:30		Martinique		Trinidad & Tobago
I	1/12/2010	18:45	Riviere Pilote Stadium	Guadeloupe		Antigua & Barbuda
I	1/12/2010	21:00		Guyana		Jamaica
SF 1	3/12/2010	17:30	Pierre Aliker, Dillon	Winner H		Runner-up I
SF 2	3/12/2010	20:30		Winner I		Runner-up H
3rd Place	5/12/2010	16:00		Loser SF 2		Loser SF 1
FINAL	5/12/2010	19:00		Winner SF 1		Winner SR 2

ENDS

ABOUT DIGICEL GROUP

After 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.