Association were raised yesterday when it was revealed that several affiliate members were in favour of an independent body being appointed to investigate the affairs of the association.

In a letter signed by 19 of the 23 member organisations, it was requested that a council meeting be convened within 28 days where the topic of discussion would be the motion to have the honorary vice-presidents of the BFA conduct a formal inquiry.

The letter specifically pointed to the matters concerning the "summary dismissal of the administrator'' Joe L. Brown as well as president Charlie Marshall's temporary abdication of his post.

Of the 23 affiliates, it is understood that the Bermuda Schools Sports Federation and Hotels International refused to sign the letter while Vasco da Gama and the Bermuda Referees Association were not approached.

Erwyn Bean, president of one of the more powerful affiliates, Somerset Cricket Club, said that the motion was designed to "get these matters ironed out in-house and not have them smeared through the courts''.

"There are a lot of things we (affiliates) don't know,'' said Bean. "We don't want to have the BFA laundry aired publicly and rubbed in the mud.

"They've made tremendous strides in promoting and improving football on the Island, especially with the recent World Cup, and this would put us right back to square one.

"We're confident that the honorary vice-presidents can come in and help sort things out.'' He rejected the notion that it was an effort to get Brown his job back, but purely to shed a clearer light on recent events and the association's current state.

Meanwhile, Marshall, though not willing to comment on the impact of such a motion, said that he was not surprised with this turn of events, stating that it was "always within the constitutional rights for the affiliates to call a special council meeting. The executive committee are the servants of the affiliates''.

The president also indicated that he would be calling a special meeting of the executive committee to discuss the contents of the letter this weekend.

As to the impending court action reportedly being enacted by Brown, Marshall said that this was just a "rumour'' at this point as far as he knew, which would indicate that the BFA had not yet received paperwork regarding those proceedings.

It was reported last week that Brown had instructed lawyer Richard Hector to file a writ claiming that he was unfairly dismissed from the job of administrative assistant.

The Ministry of Education and the BFA are presently in the developmental stages of working out an arrangement to facilitate the promotion of soccer in the local schools, which includes the hiring of a Technical Director to oversee the programme.

However, journalists attending a Press conference yesterday expecting to learn of the identity and salary of the successful applicant, were told that the apppointment should be made in the next two to three months and that the salary was still to be sorted out.

BFA president Charlie Marshall, who held the Press conference with Gerald Simons, the Minister of Education, explained the the post is presently being advertised in FIFA news, having drawn "two local respondents who unfortunately did not have the qualifications we were looking for''.

The Technical Director will be responsible for putting together programmes in the schools and at the youth level, working closely with P.E. teachers and coaches to provide a standardised course of instruction for school soccer.

"In the long run it means a higher standard of soccer in Bermuda,'' said Simons. "One of the real advantages we will have is to improve the standard of coaching and Physical Education teachers have contact with all the boys in school.'' Marshall explained that the post would be for a period of three to five years and the hope is to have the person settled in the position by the beginning of the school year and new soccer season in September.

He said there had been some responses to the advertisement in FIFA News from England, Europe, Canada and, most recently, Brazil. The salary will be funded through both the Department of Education and the private sector, said Marshall.

"This is really exciting because it's one of the first times that the Ministry of Education has finally recognised the role soccer can play in saving a lot of our young people from going astray,'' said Marshall.

"This person will oversee everything and he will organise programmes and do the preparation work. The person must not only have the skills of soccer but the academic background where he can prepare and go out and sell association football to the business community.

"The seeds we have planted through the World Cup in corporate Bermuda we now want to fertilise and grow and this is an effort between Government and corporate Bermuda.'' Ironically yesterday's announcement came on the same day as the Secondary Schools All-Star match, which paves the way for students to obtain soccer scholarships at universities abroad.

JOE L. BROWN -- Affiliates want to avoid court case over his dismissal.