In a dramatic conclusion to the premier sporting event of Trinidad and Tobago's financial sector, Scotiabank TT, have secured their second consecutive championship at the CariFin Games Football tournament.

Now in its 15th year, the tournament culminated in an electrifying final that saw Scotiabank triumph 2-0 over TT Mortgage Bank (TTMB) at Republic Bank Grounds, Barataria, on May 10.

"Passion. From the beginning, the guys came out focused. We had a clear goal – to remain champions and defend our title from last year," said Marvin Springer, Scotiabank captain. "Our strategy was straightforward – play hard. We came prepared with a clear formation, and every player understood their role. That allowed us to execute effectively right down to the final whistle."

The tournament utilised a balanced round-robin format where all seven financial institutions faced each other once, with each team playing a total of six matches. This single round-robin phase determined the top four teams that advanced to the semifinals.

The drama of the tournament centred on Scotiabank's remarkable comeback story. Entering the knockout phase, they sat fourth in the standings with just 11 points – trailing well behind the dominant Central Bank of TT (CBTT) 15 points, Unit Trust Corporation’s (UTC) 12 points, and tied with TTMB’s 11 points. What made Scotiabank's position even more precarious was their goal-scoring drought. They had netted just one goal during the entire group stage, compared to CBTT's nine and UTC's ten.

Despite these challenges, Scotiabank's resilience shone through in the semifinals, where they defeated the tournament's top seed, CBTT. The other semifinal saw TTMB defeat UTC 1-0, setting up an unexpected final between the tournament's third and fourth-placed teams.

Individual achievements were highlighted by dual MVP honours for Tevin Peters and Nkosi Ifill (Scotiabank). Christopher Serrant of Unit Trust Corporation claimed the top scorer award with four goals, cementing his reputation as one of the tournament's elite strikers. Other notable goal scorers included Machel Inniss (UTC), Kern Gardiner (CBTT) and Shaquille Huggins (TTMB) with three goals each.

Springer elaborated on Scotiabank's tactical approach. He said, "The first three games started off wonderfully. However, the sun and humidity really took a toll as the day progressed. In the last three group-stage games, we rotated our lineup, allowing our main players to rest and giving more playing time to those who hadn't played much earlier. That tactical decision gave us a stronger team in the semifinals, and as you saw, we delivered an excellent performance, continuing strongly into the finals."

Now in its 33rd year, the CariFin Games have been uniting TT's financial services sector through sport since 1992. The football tournament represents the eighth event in a nine-event calendar spanning three months. Points earned here significantly impact the overall CariFin standings as institutions vie for the ultimate champion title.

Results:

Scotiabank