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Unleashing the magical spirit of the FIFA World Cup TM 2010, Coca-Cola India recently organized a month long under 16 inter-village football tournament in Goa in partnership with Goa Football Association (GFA). The tournament aptly called 'Coca-Cola Celebration Cup' was undertaken to further promote football and also identify promising talent at the grassroots level. The final of the Coca-Cola Celebration Cup was played between the village teams of Young Strikers and Sirlim Sports Club. In a closely contested match, Young Strikers from Benaulim prevailed over Sirlim Sports Club to emerge as the winners of the 'Coca-Cola Celebration Cup'.
The Coca-Cola Celebration Cup is a grass root level football initiative to discover budding football talent. The inter-village tournament was open to all young footballers in the age group of 12-15 years. The tournament was played across 48 villages in Goa, involving participation of more than 672 footballers. All matches involving 48 villages were played in 7-A-Side format.
T. KrishnaKumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd presenting the cash prize to Brandon Fernandes, Captain of Young Strikers Sports Club, the winners of the Coca-Cola Celebration Cup.
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The finalist teams of the Coca Cola Celebration Cup, Sirlim Sports Club and Young Strikers Benaulim along with Baichung Bhutia, Ace footballer and Arjuna Awardee , Churchill Alemao, Member of Legislative Assembly and PWD Minister, Joyonto Chaudhury, General Manager, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd. and Ajit Jha, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd
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The tournament received an overwhelming response from the residents as well as all the football enthusiasts in Goa. The winning team was awarded a cash prize of Rs.50,000/- by T.KrishnaKumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd. (HCCBPL). The ceremony was attended by Churchill Alemao, Member of Legislative Assembly and PWD Minister, Savio Messias, Secretary, Goa Football Association, Milind Pingle, Region Vice President, HCCBPL, Ajit Jha, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, HCCBPL & Joyonto Chaudhury, General Manager, HCCBPL. Also present at the event was ace Indian footballer and Arjuna Awardee, Baichung Bhutia.
Congratulating the winning team, T.Krishnakumar, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd said "We are delighted to receive such an overwhelming response to the Coca-Cola Celebration Cup. This latest initiative is a part of Coca-Cola's activation around the FIFA World Cup TM in India and also takes forward the companys' commitment to not only create a sporting culture but also promote healthy active living. We are glad to have partnered with the Goa Football Association for this first-of-its-kind initiative which has the potential to emerge as a powerful youth program and create a grassroots football movement in the state. I would also like to congratulate all the teams for playing such a wonderful tournament".
During the felicitation ceremony, Savio Messias, Secretary, Goa Football Association said, "Coca-Cola Celebration Cup is an initiative that aims to scout best football talent from the grassroots level in the state of Goa. I would like to thank Coca-Cola India for their support in making this initiative a big success and helping us indentify young promising football talent. I would also like to congratulate the Young Strikers from Benaulim for winning the finals".
Excited at winning the finals, Brandon Fernandes, Captain of Young Strikers Sports Club said, "It is a proud moment for us to have won the finals of Coca-Cola Celebration Cup. It is our perseverance and team work that has helped us win the finals. On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank our coach Cajetan Fernandes for guiding us to this win. A big thank you to GFA and Coca-Cola India for organizing such a wonderful tournament. It truly gives young footballers like us a platform to showcase our talent."
The Coca-Cola Celebration Cup was played for over a month between 21st April 2010 till 22nd May 2010. A total of 62 matches were played involving 48 village teams. Starting 2010, The Coca-Cola Celebration Cup will mark the commencement of Goa's football calendar every year.
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