PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Antigua and Barbuda could be reinstated to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) soon, ending a three-year isolation from the region’s governing body for the sport. The matter was one of the major topics of discussion at last weekend’s 33rd Ordinary Congress of the CFU held here, with president Jack Warner saying the time had come to rectify the problem.

Antigua and Barbuda were suspended in 2007 for their failure to obey the directives of the CFU executive committee.

“It is time we heal; we cannot quibble over the past. We must look to the future and start charting our way forward. This situation with Antigua & Barbuda has dragged on for too long,” the football mogul said.

“Not only as president of this Union but as a Caribbean national, it is my dream, my vision and objective to create an environment in which we can co-exist and move forward.”

He added: “I would have failed in my mission if this situation isn’t resolved quickly. Our stories in this region may be singular but our challenges are the same and our destination is the same.”

Antigua’s return to the CFU will be crucial in terms of financial assistance for the tiny Caribbean nation.

Warner, the CONCACAF boss and FIFA vice-president, said he would travel to Antigua next month to meet with the executive of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association.

ABFA president Everton Gonsalves and General-Secretary Gordon Derrick attended the Congress last weekend.