FORMER Bermuda head football coach and Mid-Ocean News columnist Clyde Best yesterday slammed the Bermuda Football Association who announced this week that the island would enter the World Cup but had no intention of winning it.

"What kind of attitude is that," said an astounded Best. "I have never heard of any country or club going into a competition saying it had no intention of winning. It is amazing. Don't tell me that we are going to compete in the World Cup and it doesn't matter if we lose. That is one of the worst statements I have ever heard from adminstrators in my life. It is ludicrous. These are the same guys who are making these statements all the time. It is time for the clubs to stand up."

And Best said that until Bermuda has professional players, going into the World Cup makes no sense.

"Every other country that competes in the World Cup have professional players. How many amateur players do you think compete in the World Cup? Even Jamaica go to England to get their players. Everyone is playing professional somewhere," he said adding, "you cannot just wake up one morning and say you are going to compete in the World Cup. You have to have a long-term plan. You have to do right by the sport."

Best said Bermuda football has sunk so low that "we are so far out of our depth it is ridiculous".

He said that Bermuda might want to set up a long-term plan to compete in the Pan Am Games or Concacaf Cup.

"It would be different in the Pan Am Games or the Concacaf Cup. Maybe we should set our sights on Pan Am Games, Concacaf Gold Cup and the Olympics. Everytime we go into something we never get a chance to kick start our chances. I understand money is a problem but let's get something for a long-term basis - something where we know we are going to compete on a four or five year basis. But right now we not sure where we are going. You have to have a long-term plan.

"When I see paid people making statements like this week in and week out it makes me angry - and it is not sour grapes. You can't go into something just for the sake of going into it."

And Best said that it was nonsense when the BFA suggest that one of the goals is to provide educational opportunities for the players. "First of all, colleges are looking for younger players and those players must have a high grade point average. It is no good being able to send a kid to a third rate college. He is not going to be any better when he comes back than when he went in."