The FIFA President has thanked the FIFA Member Associations (MAs) in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) for their efforts to grow the “incredible” football talent among the region's youth. Gianni Infantino attended the 48th CFU Congress in Saint Lucia where Lyndon Cooper, President of the Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA), was elected unopposed as the CFU's new President. Congratulating Mr Cooper, the FIFA President said: “We’ve had a great relationship over many, many years, and it’s amazing, because everyone I speak with about Lyndon Cooper, they all tell me the same, ‘Well, his whole life, he has been active and he deserves to be where he is’, or where he will be in a few minutes today. So, Lyndon Cooper, you deserve it. Thank you very much."

Mr Infantino also thanked outgoing President Randy Harris for his eight years at the helm. "Player, General Secretary, official; he has done every single possible job in football, in Barbados, in the CFU and in Concacaf and now as well in FIFA," Mr Infantino said. Mr Harris, who is President of the Barbados Football Association, will join the FIFA Council, having been elected at the Concacaf Congress, also held in Saint Lucia, the day before. The FIFA President spoke about the way football in the Caribbean was progressing with the help of everyone. "I'm proud and happy …..to have been the FIFA President with the support of all of you and of (Concacaf President) Victor [Vittorio] (Montagliani), who has introduced - for the first time in the history of FIFA - some solidarity grants and development support for the CFU so that you can indeed invest in women’s football, in men’s football, in youth football and make the incredible talent that we have in this region grow in the right way," he said. "You have embraced it with the right spirit and you can see these girls and these boys in the Caribbean growing in a way that was unimaginable before. The (FIFA) World Cup will be played here in North America next year but the World Cup that every one of you wins every day of your activities as presidents, as officials in federations of the Caribbean, the World Cup that you win is exactly that smile of that girl or that boy who plays on a football field thanks to the activities that you are doing."

Caribbean FIFA MAs, like those around the world, are benefitting from the FIFA Forward programme which provides financial support to help them with operational costs and development projects. Each of the 211 FIFA MAs is eligible to receive up to USD 8 million during the current cycle (2023 to 2026) while regional associations, such as the CFU, can receive up to USD 5 million. The CFU is using the funds to organise initiatives such as the annual CFU Challenge U-14 series and the Next Generation refereeing courses. FIFA is also supporting football development through the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, which aims to give every young talent a path to the professional game. This has provided funding to 22 Caribbean MAs and six FIFA Talent Academies have already been established in the region. Meanwhile, 17 Caribbean MAs have joined the FIFA Football for Schools programme which, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and local education authorities, teaches life skills as well as football skills to thousands of young girls and boys in local education systems.