two-and-a-half season ban that Port Royal player Allan Foote received in January for punching referee Peter Sousa.

The Appeals Committee, chaired by Eugene Blakeney, took longer than expected to deal with the appeal against the sentence by the Bermuda Football Referees Association and had not officially notified the BFRA of the outcome until this week.

The BFA were unwilling to discuss the matter, but sources confirmed that the Appeals Committee supported the sentence handed down by the BFA's Disciplinary Committee shortly after the indicent occurred.

"It is understood that the Appeals Committee saw no reason to overrule the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, '' said the source. "Both parties appeared before the Disciplinary Committee and gave their cases. Everything was taken into consideration and it was felt that no further action was necessary.'' Sousa, himself, was unaware that the matter had been concluded by the Appeals Committee. "I haven't heard much about it at all, I don't know what's going on,'' he said.

At the time of the suspension, members of the BFRA called for tougher punishment for Foote's actions during a Second Division game at Wellington Oval between St. George's and Port Royal.

Dennis Wainwright, president of the BFRA said at the time: "The executive committee is very disturbed by the lenient sentence and we are loding an appeal.'' Sousa has always said that while being disappointed by the sentence, he would support whatever actio n the BFRA took.

PETER SOUSA -- Attacked during a match last season.