PEPSI ANNOUNCES THE BEST 5 IN "THE PEPSI STREET SKILLS 2008" WHICH BROUGHT TOGETHER MORE THAN 200 YOUTH IN ABHA

Jeddah - June 18, 2008: Organized by Pepsi in the GCC, the city of Abha concluded phase three of "The Pepsi Street Skills 2008" in Saudi Arabia which took place in Damak Club last Saturday June 14, 2008, where it witnessed a tough challenge between more than 200 youths who put in all their efforts to win a once in a life time opportunity to meet the Pepsi Stars Fabregas, Messi and Henry in Europe. The challenge will move to its last stop located in the Kingdom's capital, Riyadh city today June 18, 2008, where the central region's competitions will be held on the ground of Malaz sports stadium. The participants' excitement and optimism will be evaluated by the jury who are selected from the elite football coaches in the Kingdom.

Decisions were made about the participants in the southern region from the jury where the results were announced, and the best 5 youth players were qualified for the audience to vote for them since their football skills were very similar.  The list of winners in there southern region is: Abdurahman Sayed Al Shahrani, Abdurahman Mohammad Jubran, Abdalaziz Sayed Jabr, Abdullah Mohamed Dobis and Ahmad Noor Hossain.

Ibrahim Binaquil, GCC Senior Brand Manager - Colas at PepsiCo International, commenting on the high level of talent in the Gulf said: "Young footballers in the region have outstanding skills and Pepsi is committed to developing their potential and supporting them in their ambitions to become world class players."   Binaquil went on stating, "The activities of the challenge are taking place as planned and a great demand of players are participating. We are now looking forward at what football talents in Riyadh will have."

Each participant in the Abha competition was able to demonstrate his skills within two minutes and take part of the challenge where the jury documented the skills and the abilities of each player through videos made by the committee, making sure that the player has the capabilities necessary to qualify for the next phase, where by consumers will be voting for the best skilled players in an attempt to point out the final winners on GCC level (KSA, UAE, Kuwait & Oman).

Because of the huge number of young hopefuls who want to take part in the competition, Pepsi provided convenient alternative methods of applying for registration through phone, Pepsi's website www.pepsiarabia.com and the organizing company's website www.axemevents.com. 

"We are pleased and proud to support the enhancement of Gulf soccer skills," added Binaquil. "With the Pepsi Street Skills Challenge, we are encouraging and motivating the region's young players to show their skills and achieve a standard that could qualify them for a future career in professional football and enable them to compete at international level."

"The Pepsi Street Skills 2008" takes place in 4 Gulf countries: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Oman.  This unique journey is in search of young football talents between the ages of 14 - 19 years in.  The best players will be selected to meet the Pepsi Stars Fabregas, Messi and Henry in an exciting trip to both London and Barcelona.  The winners will be selected after the phase of the audience voting takes place. 

Pepsi Street Skills 2008 implements the highest standards of screening to select the best players, adopting techniques from last year's challenge such as overcoming time and distance by using video for live communication between the players and the judges. A points system is used to evaluate the skills and capabilities of the contestants as they play in matches on private football fields measuring 40 x 30 meters. 

Pepsi aims to commit to support and prepare the next generation of national football stars, and providing them with the highest levels of training with all the necessary experiences which can be implemented in their future career in professional football enabling them to compete at an international level.

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About PepsiCo International
PepsiCo International is one of the world's premier consumer products companies focused on convenience foods and beverages. With a presence in the GCC dating back more than 50 years, Pepsico today operates through a network of ten local bottlers, producing and marketing products which include Pepsi Cola, Mirinda, 7UP, Mountain Dew, Tropicana and Aquafina.  

For information contact:
Ahmed Al Hassani
TRACCS Public Relations
Tel: +966 2 663-2525
Fax: +966 2 663-2323
Email: ahmed.alhassani@traccs.net

© Press Release 2008