BRAZILIAN football champions, Santos arrive in Bermuda next week for a three-match tour. And if former West Ham great and columnist, Clyde Best, has anything to say about it, the visit will hopefully be the first of numerous tours to Bermuda by top teams from the world's great leagues.

Best's company, Setplay, is behind the visit by Santos and he said this week: "I would like to see more teams of this quality come to Bermuda and play. We really need it and I can see no reason why it cannot be done. Our players need to be exposed and play against teams and players of this high calibre. We have fallen so far behind over the years ? we need to get back to where we belong. We may not win these matches against such top quality teams, but it can only help in the football development of our players."

And Best is counting on the Bermuda public to come out and support the tour which will see Santos play against Bermuda's national team on Sunday, January 30th, at the National Sports Centre and then move to the Somerset Cricket Club for games against Dandy Town and a League Select side.

While Santos will not be bringing in the brilliant Robinho, who is rumoured to be going to Real Madrid this month, Best said the quality of the players will be very high. The Brazilian club, who Best played against when he was with West Ham in the 1970s, will bring a mixture of first team players, reserve players and youth players.

"This will be a treat for Bermuda's football fans," said Best adding that the tour was made possible by a person who wanted to see high quality sport come to the island.

Although Best would not reveal the person who was financially behind the tour, he said: "This person just wants to see football, and sport in general, improve in Bermuda. He loves sports ? that is why he is doing this and hopefully it can continue."

However Best did say that if the proposed tours lost a lot of money, then it could all come undone. "This person is not really looking to make money out of this ? if it breaks even then that is great. Like me, he just wants to do the right thing.

"I know we used to have a lot of great teams come to Bermuda and play but that hasn't really happened for a long time. I don't think the Bermuda public really wants to see the likes of Barbados or the Cayman Islands come here and tour ? all due respect to them. They want bigger names and it is important that we get these top players and teams to come in to improve the standard of football here in Bermuda which has slipped a lot over the years.

"The fans here remember the times when we had the likes of Manchester United, Spurs and Celtic tour Bermuda. Thousands would turn out to watch them and I would like to think we could get back to those days."

While he admitted that the cost of bringing in such teams has skyrocketed over the years, he said: "We are a rich country and if we can get a group of people or companies each putting in $5,000 or $10,000 into the pot we can bring top teams out here. After all Bermuda is a beautiful place. Hopefully Santos will come here and enjoy Bermuda and the games. Teams like Santos normally go to places like Japan for their brief tours. Now if they come out here and like it they can go back to Brazil and word will get around that Bermuda is a great place to go for a tour."

Best also said he will be using his vast contacts in the world's game to help to persuade other top teams to come here on a regular basis."

Of Santos, Best said: "Their players are quality. I know that many people have seen them on TV now since we get the Brazilian championship broadcast regularly here. I know the Bermuda fans will really appreciate their play ? their first touch, their running off the ball, their marking and their overall skill."