Bermuda Football Association president Larry Mussenden last night stated his determination that the soccer season would be completed despite horrific violence at Wellington Oval.

Yesterday?s Friendship Trophy final between North Village and Somerset Eagles was abandoned after just 19 minutes when youths wielding machetes and knives invaded the pitch and began attacking each other.

Players and match officials gathered in the centre circle as up to 40 youths battled with each other on the pitch, with at least one man left prone on the grass following an assault with a large piece of wood.

The ugly scenes, which left women and children in tears, saw three men in hospital last night, one of them in critical condition, while another three were arrested following the outbreak of gang warfare at the match ? at which no police officers were on duty.

But Mussenden was adamant that Wednesday?s title decider in which Dandy Town must beat Eagles at BAA would still go ahead although an emergency meeting of the BFA executive followed by a meeting with the clubs would finalise that decision.

?This was a terrifying day for the family of football,? said a visibly upset Mussenden at a hastily-called press conference last night.

?Men, women and children were forced to witness an army of thugs battling with each other. The game of football in Bermuda is being tormented by this senseless, useless and criminal activity.

?The football family could not prevent this criminal activity. This was the Friendship Cup, but these people were not our friends.

?They were enemies of friendship, they were enemies of the community and they were enemies of the people of Bermuda.?

The BFA executive are meeting at 1 p.m. today and then a meeting with the clubs and other ?affiliates? will take place at 6.30 p.m. to discuss the violent scenes, by far the worst witnessed at any football match in recent memory.

?It is our intention that the football season will be completed in its entirety,? continued Mussenden, who along with BFA general secretary David Sabir attended the match.

? It is the thugs and the criminals who will lose here ? football will become the winner.?

But when the BFA hold an inquest into the events that soured the season end at Wellington Oval, questions will have to be asked over the level of policing at the game.

Despite assurances made earlier last year, when outbreaks of violence at Southampton Oval and Devonshire Rec. were causing the BFA massive headaches over security, there were no Police officers on duty at yesterday?s game.

When asked by why no uniform cover was requested, Mussenden admitted: ?We did not consider this a high-risk game.

?Whenever we have any indication that there could be problems, we involve the Police, but there was no indication at all in relation to this match.?

Mussenden, along with Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton, who was also present at the game, was adamant that the youths involved in the violence were nothing to do with soccer itself.

?How can you do this to St. George?s Cricket Club?? he pleaded.

?How can you do this to St. George?s? How can you do this to football? How can you do this to the community at the game? How can you can do this to Bermuda?

?You are destroying everything your parents have worked for.?

The horrifying scenes at yesterday?s game came at the end of what Mussenden described as a ?beautiful week? for the sport in which Bermuda recorded two victories over Nicaragua and witnessed an emotional and vocal homecoming for the Island?s leading pro Shaun Goater.

He added that world and regional governing bodies FIFA and CONCACAF offered associations help with dealing with domestic problems such as violence.