In a stinging indictment of their organisational skills and behaviour, Sports Minister Dale Butler yesterday lambasted Bermuda Football Association (BFA) as the spoilt child of Bermuda sports.

Speaking out on the latest disagreement between the BFA and the National Sports Centre (NSC) - which has seen the BFA disband Under-17 and Under-20 national squads because requests for training were turned down by the NSC - the minister said he was “very disappointed, discouraged and dismayed” that the BFA would seek to politicise the issue and make the public believe it is about their outstanding debt to the NSC.

NSC trustees were quick to deny the current matter in any way concerns $109,000 which the BFA owes for use of the multi-sport facility and have cited previous commitments to other sports, primarily cricket, as the reason for turning down the BFA's proposed training schedules.

In what he termed his hardest-hitting statement to date, Butler roasted the BFA for bad planning, accused them of circumventing authority and chastised them for thinking football was entitled to preferential treatment because it's a national sport.

“The stadium was already booked. Most organisations that require use of the NSC have booked for the next four years. I cannot see why the BFA cannot do the same.

“It highlights a very serious problem with regards to the qualities and style of leadership and long-term planning.

“The BFA needs to seriously look at how it plans for the future. You cannot ask the NSC to block out dates a week or two before you schedule training sessions. In fact, they should have the World Cup 2008 training schedule in by July 1 - that's how serious I am about it. They should have (training) dates in for 2007 and 2008,” declared Butler, addressing the media in the Cabinet Office.

He queried whether the BFA were perhaps using the denial of youth-team training at NSC as an excuse for getting out of international commitments at Under-17 and Under-20 level so they would not be forced to raise the necessary additional funds for those campaigns.

Noting that Government has been working “to provide as much assistance as possible” to the BFA and to deal with the monies owed to NSC, Butler revealed he had been trying to resolve the issue of the $109,000 debt despite no creative suggestions from the footballing authority.

He said he was preparing to go to Cabinet with options - “whether they should pay half, a quarter or none (of the debt) at all and we write it off as a contribution to the World Cup” - when the BFA jumped the gun and went to Premier Alex Scott. The latter told them it would be dealt with.

They also sought monies for expenses for the Island's World Cup qualifier against El Salvador and Mr. Scott mandated they be given $22,000 to cover travel costs.

Saying he was “telling it like it is”, Butler said this type of action was symptomatic of the how the BFA behaved.

“They try and circumvent everybody. They try and circumvent the trustees by coming to me and then try and circumvent me by running to the Premier. While this is a democratic society, it certainly has not left a good taste in my mouth and I'm going to find it very difficult dealing with the executive of that body when myself and the ministry have bent over backwards to provide whatever assistance we can.

“With the BFA, unfortunately, if you don't run to the bank immediately and get the money, you're not dealing with the issue. They seem to think we have a bottomless pit of money and that is not so,” he declared, adding that of Bermuda's 35 sporting agencies, the BFA gets the “lion's share” of funding.

Regarding the NSC's operational policy, the Minister said the BFA must be prepared to pay for training at the Frog Lane complex if it exceeds its agreed quota of time or sessions.

“While football is a national sport, they are not entitled to use that facility as they see fit. We are prepared to flex the rules, bend the rules but we cannot break the rules just for them when they continue to show a lack of forward planning.

“This type of crisis management will not become the signature of this Minister.”

While stressing it was not Government's intention to do so, Butler noted that, given the manner in which football's national governing body was functioning, he felt Government “needs to consider whether a national sport can be decertified”.

“That's how seriously I consider this issue. A national sport - when it comes to planning and leadership - should be operating at a much higher level than what we have seen from the BFA,” he charged.

Chairman of the NSC Board of Trustees Dr. Gerard Bean reiterated that no mention was made of the $109,000 in correspondence to the BFA rejecting the Under-17 and Under-20 training schedules.

“We have a number of international cricket matches coming up. We could not accommodate two new national-team training schedules and this is the only thing we have told the BFA.

“I thought it was mischievous of the BFA to stand at the NSC and tell young footballers that the reason they could not train has something to do with money. It has nothing to do with money.”