Fifa vice-president, Jack Austin Warner has been nominated unopposed for the presidency of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). This means that Warner, Minister of Works and Transport, will be elected for the eighth consecutive term as president of the region's governing body of football. All remaining incumbent members of the executive committee have also been nominated unchallenged in their current capacities.
Nominations for posts within the Executive Committee of the CFU closed at 4 pm on Monday. In a demonstration of the ongoing stability and unity within the CFU that has characterised his presidency, Warner received multiple nominations from the CFU's diverse membership of 30 nations. Warner, who has served as the president of the CFU since its inception in 1982, has described the development as both "humbling and invigorating."
In accepting the nomination, Warner said, "I am humbled today by the trust bestowed upon me by my Caribbean brothers and sisters; this trust that you, my family, has placed upon me has invigorated my spirit and my soul to continue to serve you to the best of my ability. For over 40 years of my life I have served this sport but I cannot and I will never personalise the sequence of events. I now bear with the other members of this Executive Committee the task of implementing the mandate set by you, the members of this great and promising Union."
Continuing, Warner stated that "we are a young institution and our environment is dynamic, but our dreams and our visions have remained the same. Our Union has risen above numerous challenges, we have braved the storms, we have sailed on sometimes uncertain seas but our commitment to a vision of improving Caribbean Football remains our compass. It is this commitment that is our beacon which shines through the mists of ambiguity and allows us to guide our ship to a brighter and better tomorrow. While we are still confronted by numerous challenges, our capacity and our love for the sport have remained undaunted. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better future; to carry forward the principles of our sport: That all are equal, all are free, and together this team, which is not only the members of this Committee, but this team made up of every member of every Federation will work hand in hand for a better tomorrow."
He also reaffirmed his commitment to the task at hand. He said: "We embark on a journey for the next four years. The task ahead of us is challenging, and we the members of this Committee need all hands on deck. All talent, all wisdom, each and every one must take an active part in guiding our Union to a better tomorrow. "We must never allow the seeds of separation to germinate within our family. It's time to build a future together which we can all share, hold pride in; and I look forward to once again working with every member as we embark on yet another chapter of the great book of the CFU."
In addition to Warner, the nominations for the upcoming CFU elections are: Captain Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaican Football Federation (1st vice-president of CFU); Colin Klass, President of the Guyana Football Federation (2nd vice-president of CFU); and CFU Executive Committee Members Victor Daniel, general secretary of the Grenada Football Association; Luis Hernandez, president of the Cuban Football Association, Yves Jean Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation and Lionel Haven, general secretary of the Bahamas Football Association.