As the world prepares for the crescendo of football's World Cup, Bermuda is mourning the loss of one of its stalwarts of that sport.

The footballing fraternity joined the rest of the Island yesterday in saluting the contribution of Sir John Plowman who gave decades of unstinting service to the administration of the game here.

President of the Bermuda Football Association Larry Mussenden led the tributes, noting that Sir John was particularly influential in uniting Bermuda's black and white football leagues.

"The Bermuda Football Association and the football family express our condolences to the family of Sir John on his passing. Our prayers are with them at this time. He was a friend to football throughout his entire life and he played an instrumental role in the progress and development of the sport in Bermuda.

"He was particularly instrumental in the integration of the sports when the black and white leagues came together and consolidated the sport. Future generations of footballers in Bermuda will be eternally grateful for his and other people's efforts in integrating our sport because we recognise that football is truly a universal means of bringing different factions of people together.

"We know he has gone to that great football field in the sky," said Mussenden.

Since 1948, when he joined the BAA Football Committee and became an executive member of the Management Committee of the Bermuda Football Combination (BFC) - in which all the teams were white - Sir John was involved in Bermuda's football, serving on many BFA committees and was Chairman of the Disciplinary Appeals Committee.

In later years, he was appointed Life Vice-President of the BFA and maintained an interest in the organisation though a lack of mobility prevented him attending meetings or matches. He was also a life-long fan and former director of Arsenal Football Club in England.

At last year's Government House BFA Awards presentation to former players and officials, Sir John - in his own words - told of how the BFC and the Bermuda Football League (BFL), in which black footballers played, merged to become the BFA.

"There was a growing opinion that segregation should cease in sport. Chairman of the BFL, Dr. Donald King, discretely indicated he was of the same opinion . . . but there were strongly divided opinions on the BFC. The obvious development was the formation of the BFA but the problem was to get the BFC to agree.

"The BFC secretary was a very strong-minded enthusiast, Douglas Cartwright. He called a meeting at the Hamilton Hotel with a view of bringing the matter to a head.

The meeting went on till after 11 p.m. Finally, it was agreed the BFC would affiliate to the about-to-be-established BFA," said Sir John, giving a brief biography of his life in football.