But you can bet there was no-one laughing this week around some of Bermuda's football clubs.

The final twist after weeks of politicking came at Monday night's BFA annual general meeting where a shell-shocked Mark Trott saw his challenge for the leadership shot down by a presiding officer's casting vote after the election for president had ended in a 12-12 tie.

Neville Tyrrell was thus returned for another four years despite the fact that the majority of affiliates had voted against him -- 12 to be precise compared to the 10 who had voted to uphold the status quo.

What Trott had perhaps not counted on was the vote of two non-club representatives, treasurer Delroy O'Brien and first vice-president Aldwyn Savery whose ballots forced the tie.

Of course, their votes might not have mattered had not three of the clubs who had pledged their support for Trott prior to the election made a last minute U-turn.

That was their prerogative and nobody can dispute that Tyrrell won fair and square -- although there were some this week still questioning a constitution which allows two votes from outside the club circle.

But if Tyrrell thought he had problems when he inherited the top post in the wake of the Miami Seven Affair four years ago, they may pale in comparison to the difficulties that now lie ahead.

A tied vote can suggest only one thing -- disunity.

And the expected resignation of Trott as second vice-president this week -- he must still be kicking himself for accepting such an unworkable consolation prize in the first place -- only further punctuates the divisions which exist within our national sport.

Fortunately, with a couple of months still remaining before the start of a new season, Tyrrell and his committee have time on their side in which to heal the wounds.

If lessons have been learned from the last administration's mistakes, they will need to be heeded, and heeded quickly.

Bermuda's clubs, the heart and soul of Island soccer, have spoken loud and clear.

There's a need for more dialogue, more consultation, more communication and to repeat the political phrase of the day, more transparency.

Soccer is, and always has been, a game for the masses. While it's accepted that executive committees are voted in for the very purpose of making decisions, it should never be forgotten that they can just as easily be voted out if those decisions don't reflect the wishes of the majority.

And Monday's annual general meeting, where more clubs voted against Tyrrell than for, suggests exactly that -- decisions taken over the last six months in particular were not widely supported.

So where does the new executive go from here? A first step might be to convene a general membership meeting at which the grievances of those who voted for change can be heard, discussed and acted upon.

Not everybody will see eye to eye and some tough decisions will have to be made on the way forward. But in order for the game to grow and for the various national team programmes to succeed, there has at least to be a semblance of unity.

A replacement for technical director Clyde Best and national coach Robert Calderon hopefully will be considered a priority -- and not left on the back burner until the next international commitments appear on the horizon as has been the case in years gone by. Preparation is the key to any success, which might suggest why Bermuda teams have enjoyed so little of late.

Asked during an interview last week whether he still considered soccer Bermuda's most important game, Tyrrell replied: "It's the only game.'' As we've said before, there's no questioning the BFA president's passion.

But passion alone will count for little if soccer is again subjected to the kind of infighting which preceded this week's AGM.

-- ADRIAN ROBSON