The CFU President was speaking in Jamaica at the opening address at the union's 34th Congress. In his address Warner highlighting the poor run by Caribbean teams, especially in the Concacaf Gold Cup and other major competitions for men and women, as well as youths.
“The statistics of our performance are revealing a story of which we must take cognizance,” he said. “This is a clear indictment against our brand of football and the time has come for us to shift the paradigm from just being satisfied to participate in a tournament at the expense of truly competing,” Warner stated.
“As a Union, we cannot go on like this. The return on the investments given to us will become questionable.
“The assets which we so proudly declare will become depreciated and we will become like a traveller on a journey to an unstable destination, through unfamiliar territory, on an uneven road having already used up all his spare tyres. We cannot go on like this.
“In spite of the training courses, programmes and seminars funded by the Fifa and the Concacaf, in spite of the Fifa grants received (each of you received over $1.3 million dollars in the last four years) your teams still remain the whipping boys and girls of the Concacaf Confederation...
"And the message I am here to deliver...is ‘Let’s Shift the Paradigm’ and bring glory to the CFU.” Warner said.
He added that as long as football remains an Olympic sport, a representative from the CFU must be there and as long as referees are to be selected from the Concacaf, referees who represent the CFU must be there.
“This must be our goal; this must be our reality. Success starts with a dream, with an obsession and it is never too late to start. It begins with the abolition of insularity among member states. It begins with the abolition of infighting within member associations.
"It begins with the removal of ‘I’ and the introduction of ‘We’ and the recognition that no one can do it alone; we need the help of each other.
“Every Member Association, over the next six months should present a Four-year Strategic Development Plan for Football Development in its territory.
“This Plan must be different from all other plans. To state what you want is one thing; to tell us what you hope to achieve is another.
“To ask for courses for referees is of no value if the outcome of such a request is not to have referee-ready candidates to perform on the world stage.
“The Caribbean Football Union must also have its own Four-year Strategic Development Plan for Football Development and Madam General Secretary we must set lofty goals and drive our Member Associations to fulfill them.
“Every Member Association, over the next six months, must submit a four year action plan disaggregated according to each year and this must be accompanied with identified milestones and timelines. “This must be carefully aligned to your strategic plan.
"Nothing must be done by ‘vaps’ anymore. Outputs must be aligned to outcomes. We need to become results-based policy driven units. Until we strategize, we will never succeed,” he said.
Warner said he has faith in the CFU and added that by 2014, a team from the CFU must be in Brazil and a team from the CFU must be at the next Fifa U20 Men’s, Women’s World Cup and the U17 Men’s World Cup in Mexico next year.
“Our brand should be ‘We are the Salt’ as long as it is football, CFU must be represented. We must be everywhere and in everything,” he said.
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