club limps toward the end of the season.

Their 1996-97 campaign, filled with promise when it started last September, officially draws to a close on Sunday against Boulevard.

And if rumours are to be believed, that match will signal the end of coach John Rebello's five-year reign, the departure of several players and, perhaps, even the death of the club itself.

To be sure, second place and a record of 9-6-2 is a standard that would elate most teams. Vasco, however, is a team of stars, made even stronger by the off-season acquisition of veteran striker Sammy Swan.

Winners of four trophies a year ago, they were expected to at least duplicate that total this season. Instead, probably the most talented team in the Bermuda Football Association was reduced to a paper tiger, overcome by too many big heads and too few committments.

The frustration finally came to a boil on January 28. A 2-1 FA Cup loss to Second Division Wolves was punctuated by fisticuffs between team-mates Albert Wolffe and Dwight Basden and the trashing of the team's dressing room at Devonshire Rec.

Caught in the middle of the infighting was Rebello, who came almost out of nowhere to take over a Second Division team and guid it to 13 different titles in his five seasons.

He seems almost certain to resign after the season.

Rebello made himself unavailable following Sunday's 6-5 victory over PHC, directing all inquiries to assistant coach Donovan Livingston and manager Antonio Paulos.

In interviews, both confirmed that Rebello is likely to either take over a management role or simply quit soccer. And both were sympathetic.

"It's tough to coach a team with so many stars,'' said Paulos, who called Rebello "the best coach Vasco ever had.'' Vasco in turmoil? From Page 23 Livingston said dissension was to be expected with a team of "so many good players and so many egos'' -- but not to the point where it resulted in regularly poor turnouts at practice. "Players stopped training,'' he said.

"And without proper training you can't play winning football.'' Livingston and Paulos said they also expected several players to seek transfers out of the team -- not necessarily a bad thing.

"If some of them left, it would probably be best for the club,'' Livingston said.

Livingston, a 40-year-old part-time fullback, is interested in taking over from Rebello but admits he would "have to have the right attitude from players'' before considering the job.

In the meantime, he said, the team will "pick up the pieces'' and "wait and see'' which players depart.

"It will be an interesing offseason,'' he said. But Paulos and Livingston said they had no doubt that Vasco would be back for another season in six months.

JOHN REBELLO -- Vasco coach appears likely to step down at end of the season.