BERMUDA national football coach, Kenny Thompson, wants to see more commitment from the senior players now that Government has injected a massive $15 million into the game.Thompson, who will lead Bermuda into Sunday’s international friendly against Canada at the National Sports Centre (3 p.m. kick off), said: “The players have to be more accountable now.”

For years there was no real continuous national programme with international games only being played in patches because of a lack of funds.

That is not the case now.

“There is no blaming the Bermuda Football Association. The decision is purely on the player,” said Thompson.

The coach said that with the $15 million being given to the BFA by Government, this will be a fresh start for football in Bermuda.

“Now we have the money for it to be continuous. The problem in the past was that we could get some experience and exposure and then nothing. Then you get a little more experience . . . and then nothing.

“We are starting over now. It is important we take this opportunity to learn as much as possible. It is a fresh start — for me as well having been there before.”

Thompson was first appointed to the top post after Gary Darrell resigned in late 2003 due to “increasing work commitments”.

During his seven-month coaching stint Thompson guided the national team to inspiring back-to-back victories over Nicaragua at the National Sports Centre (NSC).

Bermuda also nearly qualified for the second round of the FIFA 2006 World Cup qualifiers under Thompson’s watch, going down 4-3 on aggregate against the highly-ranked El Salvadorians at the Sports Centre.

Thompson was officially replaced by Kyle Lightbourne — whose tenure ended earlier this year — in September 2004.

And now Thompson wants Bermuda’s top players to take full advantage of the future international plans. And while many players have, some haven’t.

He said of training: “We continued training post the (New England) Revolution tour. It has been a little bit of stop and go as a result of important league matches but we have had a good nucleus that have been in the sessions. So I have been pleased with that.

“However it has been slower than I would have liked. I have been disappointed with some players by their commitment to the national programme. But in any case we are building again so we have a good nucleus of players who have committed to the national programme and we will continue to add players based on the technical ability of course but also their commitment.

“In many years with the national team some players have not been committed. Some players who are technically able to play at the national level are not necessarily the most committed players.”

Thompson said excuses used over the years are no good now.

“You could certainly say that in the past players had an excuse not to be so committed but unfortunately now we are still seeing the same thing. The money is there — everyone knows the money is there and now there is no excuse for the players. There are many people who blame the national association for player apathy when it comes to the national team. This can no longer be the case. Maybe when you looked at the time when we didn’t have matches you could defend the players a bit as there was nothing to play for. But now there is and from that perspective it has been definitely disappointing in terms of them not making themselves available. Having said that we have to continue with the programme.”

Of Sunday’s upcoming international against Canada, Thompson said: “It is a good thing to have matches for national team now. We can now be like most other national associations and play matches on the FIFA international dates. That is always exciting.

“Canada will be a tough game. For us it is a step up and it is good that we get to play an opponent like Canada — playing against players like Radzinski is important for our players. These are opportunities to grow and develop and the more we can take out of matches like this the faster we can grow.”

And Thompson, who has coached a lot at the youth level, plans to steadily bring in Bermuda’s younger players to the senior national team.

He said: “I definitely plan to do that. I have already spoken to some younger players to get them involved. They can grow into the programme and be around the more experienced players. That is part if the building process. A large part depends on the desire and the motivation. With all due respect it is OK to be successful at the club level but as a top athlete footballers want to play and match themselves against international players.

“But sometimes the players we think are the most technically gifted do not have the mentality for (international) football. In the long run they will probably be a hindrance to the national development. It takes both sides — certainly the technical ability but also the mentality. “Just look at Shaun (Goater) — he will tell you it was not easy but he had to be mentally strong to play consistently at a high level.”

As to his stint the last time around as national coach, Thompson said that he was fortunate that there were regular matches.

“When I was previously at the helm we did have regular matches because we were preparing for the World Cup and you saw the difference — you saw the players were motivated and you saw the growth from the time we lost two matches to Barbados. And it was not just the two losses but you saw our level of performance grow. By the time we met El Salvador we were able to compete very well — and with a little luck we could have won the match. After El Salvador there wasn’t anything — it all just dropped off.

“This time we do not anticipate that. We have the funding for matches. It is an exciting time for the players and for me.

“More demands have to be made on the players to commit. For some it is easy to be a top player here in Bermuda but maybe there is an apprehension of finding out that you are not as good as you thought.”

Against Canada Thompson will not be using the likes of pros Khano Smith and John Barry Nusum.

“I am trying to build a nucleus of locally-based players,” he said adding, “players like Khano, John Barry, Kevin Richards, Damon Ming and those in college are in good situations. Once we build a nucleus of locally-based players then they (the pros) can easily fit into the team. If we give the players here the opportunity then Khano and John Barry and the like can come into a better situation.”

Coach wants to see commitment