Bermuda?s top soccer player Shaun Goater has described the scenes at Sunday?s Friendship Trophy as ?absolutely shocking?.

Goater, who only left the Island three days before machete-wielding youths brought chaos to Wellington Oval, was ?knocked for six? when he first saw the sickening pictures on website.

At first the overseas star, a former player with North Village, was too stunned to comment on the events that brought such a terrifying end to what had been such a good week for Bermudian soccer, but changed his mind when he realised the enormity of the shockwaves the incident had caused on the domestic sports scene.

?I am absolutely shocked by the incident,? said Goater, who scored two goals for Bermuda just seven days ago after suiting up for the Island for the first time in four years.

?It was especially surprising and disappointing considering what happened with the national team last week. I thought football was on the rise and on the increase judging by the positives that surrounded our games against Nicaragua.

?There was such a good feeling and a good atmosphere at those games. Everyone was so positive and we got such good results, everyone was on a high.

?And then just a few days later this happens. It is clear this incident has nothing to do with football, but it is football that will suffer.

?These people are not football fans, but they are tarnishing the name football and that is such a shame for all those who work so hard for the sport in Bermuda.?

Both victories over Nicaragua last week saw a diverse and vocal crowd getting behind the national side as the World Cup campaign gathered support.

Men, women and children, expatriates, visitors and Bermudians had all come down in their numbers to support Kenny Thompson?s men in 3-0 and 2-1 victories over the Central Americans.

And Goater knows these sort of crowds will now be put off by the violence that engulfed the Friendship Trophy.

?The game of football will suffer,? continued Goater, who will once again be running his grassroots festival this summer to promote the sport among youngsters and the wider community.

?You will not get females and kids going to games after this. I think it is very sad. The game is going to be punished because of a few people who are using football grounds for a profile.

?I really am shocked at the incomprehensible behaviour of these people.?

Goater said the worst he had seen in his time as a professional in England was the odd individual running on to the pitch and confronting a player ? but he had also never witnessed such scenes in his time as a player on the Island.

?People go along to football to relax and enjoy it and be entertained,? he added.

?It is meant to be a safe environment. I have never seen anything like this in all my time being involved in football in Bermuda.

?You don?t expect people to act in this way ? it really is shocking.

?To go from what we had last week at the National Stadium to this is very upsetting.

?I just hope they can find ways of making sure this doesn?t happen again.?