A man accused of attempted murder at Wellington Oval apologised to football chiefs after violence swept the stadium, a court heard yesterday.

Jahcai Morris told detectives at the end of an 87-minute interview, held two days after the trouble, that he wanted to say sorry to the whole Bermuda Football Association.

?It will never happen again,? he added, in the wake of scenes of fighting that saw crowds run for cover as about 15 young men attacked each other with weapons, including knives and machetes.

Morris, 24, of Sylvan Dell, Paget, Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, 27, of Cherry Hill Park, Paget and Tahir Nesta Bascome, 22, of Dunscombe Road, Warwick, all deny attempting to murder Tarik Foster at the Friendship Trophy soccer final on April 4, 2004. The trio had pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, a charge yesterday changed to wounding with intent to cause GBH.

The court heard on Wednesday how Morris told Police he sliced a man?s leg on the football field after fearing his friend ? who he assumed this man had earlier attacked ? had died.

Morris then said he was hit on the back of the head. He then picked up a knife that the man who attacked his friend had dropped, and reacted.

Earlier in the interview, Morris told Detective Constable Dean Martin that he did not see anybody at the Wellington Oval on the day of the incident with guns. He added that he was not aware of any of his friends either carrying or having access to guns.

Defence lawyer Charles Richardson, appearing for Morris, pointed to a section of the interview when Morris said he did not know whether he cut the man on the floor, because he turned the knife sideways and used it like a ?slap?.

Mr. Richardson added: ?Was Mr. Morris not saying it was not his intention to do serious damage, so he turned the bladed knife??

He told the court that Morris had never admitted trying to kill Tarik Foster or causing grievous bodily harm during the interview. Under cross-examination from Ed Bailey, for Bascome, Det. Con. Martin said that he recalled from the interview that Bascome said he had never been at Wellington Oval on April 4 last year.

Mr. Bailey asked if a black ?trucker?s? cap and a long sleeve, white t-shirt ? which witnesses had earlier told the trial Bascome had worn at Wellington Oval ? had been recovered by Police. Det. Con. Martin said he did not recall.

Butterfield has also pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH, possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Morris and Bascome have both denied possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

The trial continues.