The flurry of red cards last Sunday wrote another grim chapter in the story of a season in which indiscipline has reached crisis proportions.

The six dismissals in just two league games brought up to 29 the total of sendings-off clocked up by the 10 First Division clubs alone in all competitions, according to Royal Gazette records.

And the stories behind the statistics illustrate the serious nature of the problem.

It is not just over-zealous tackling which has led to so many players seeing red, but fighting and foul language directed at officials, amounting to serious intimidation.

There have even been three red cards given to men who had never even set foot on the pitch.

In early October, Wolves coach Dennis Brown was dismissed for foul and abusive language during a match against Somerset Trojans.

And in November, North Village substitutes Kevin Jennings and Arthur Simons were also sent off the bench for dissent while their team were playing Southampton Rangers.

But there was no better example of the growing threat to officials than when Social Club's Ian DeSilva punched referee Oral Swan after 30 minutes of the Second Division clash against St. David's on November 22.

A month later, DeSilva was banned from football for five years by a Bermuda Football Association disciplinary committee.

From a disciplinary viewpoint, the season could not have started worse, as three players received their marching orders in the Charity Cup curtain raiser between Boulevard and Vasco.

Ironically, the first to go, for dissent, was Vasco striker Dwight Basden, the man who ended up in hospital last Sunday after being on the receving end of probably the most serious incident in Bermudian soccer this season.

In Vasco's game at BAA Field against Devonshire Cougars, Basden was punched by Wendell Swan and then, while grounded, kicked in the head by Ryan Swan.

Basden also ended up in hospital last March after violence at the FA Cup semi-final between Vasco and North Village.

On that occasion, he became involved in skirmishes with fans after fighting on the pitch had caused the abandonment of the tie.

Basden was knocked unconscious, allegedly by North Village club official Sherwin Dill, who was arrested afterwards.

The case against Dill has since been dropped, after Basden decided not to press charges.

The theory that frustrated players of struggling teams are more likely to get into trouble is lent weight by the fact that bottom-of-the-table Hamilton Parish are top of the red card league.

Parish have collected five red cards this season, but that figure should be taken as six, as Jermaine Belboda was shown two yellow cards in the December clash with Cougars, but referee Cal Simons inadvertently allowed him to stay on the field.

In Leon Raynor, Parish have one of the three players to have been sent off twice this season. The others are Tafari Outerbridge, of Vasco, and Kwame Tucker, of Southampton Rangers.

Rangers are the second worst offenders with five red cards, one more than league leaders Vasco.

The clash between the two clubs last month brought more sorry scenes to BAA Field when first Rangers' Janeiro Tucker was dismissed for violent conduct and then the match was abandoned after angry fans threw a bottle onto the field.

Somerset Trojans are the only club not to have picked up a red card so far this term, while both Dandy Town and Devonshire Colts have limited their dismissals to one.

There was still no official response to Sunday's violence from the BFA yesterday.

Spokesman David Sabir said there would be a statement after a meeting today between him and representatives of Cougars and Vasco.

RED CARD ROLL CALL Following is a list of all First Division players sent off so far this season in Martonmere Cup, Friendship Trophy, FA Cup, Dudley Eve Trophy and league games: Hamilton Parish (six) -- Leon Raynor (twice), Kuma Smith, Jermaine Belboda*, Cymande Davis, Chris Caisey.

Southampton Rangers (five) -- Kwame Tucker (twice), Travis Wilkinson, Janeiro Tucker, Craig Darrell.

Vasco (four) -- Tafari Outerbridge (twice), Dwight Basden, Sinclair Gibbons.

Boulevard (three) -- Leroy Stevens, Gregg Foggo, Albert Caisey.

North Village (three) -- Daniel Jennings, Kevin Jennings, Arthur Simons.

Wolves (three) -- Dennis Brown, Nathan Webb, Keemo Smith.

Devonshire Cougars (three) -- Wendell Swan, Ryan Swan, Galvin Butterfield.

Dandy Town (one) -- Darron Simons.

Devonshire Colts (one) -- Marvin Belboda.

Somerset Trojans (none).

* -- Jermaine Belboda of Hamilton Parish has been included because he received two yellow cards in the First Division game against Devonshire Cougars, but the referee neglected to send him off.

Early bathers: Two of the players to receive their marching orders this season, North Village's Kevin Jennings (left) and Galvin Butterfield of Cougars.

David Sabir: Will meet with with Vasco and Devonshire Cougars officials today.