BERMUDA coach Kenny Thompson has voiced his frustration at the lack of international fixtures despite football's new-found funding.

The Bermuda Football Association was given $15 million by Government this year but Thompson said there was nothing booked despite the first World Cup qualifiers being just months away, meaning Bermuda risked embarrassment unless something is sorted soon.

Nothing had been arranged for this month and so far the diary is still blank for the international dates in October and November.

Thompson told the Mid-Ocean News: "I would like to see us be a part of the world football family ¿ when everyone else is active on international dates we are as well."

He said he hadn't been given a reason why friendlies had not been booked. "I made recommendations in March of that sort and haven't received any feedback as yet.

"There is not much I can do about it. I leave it with the Technical Committee and see what they are prepared to do."

Thompson said he thinks that committee might be too preoccupied with searching for a new Technical Director.

"However I don't think we should stop our work until the Technical Director comes on board. We have to be moving things forward so when a Technical Director comes on he comes into a position with some things already in place."

With the World Cup qualifiers likely to start in February Thompson said he wanted games against Caribbean region sides such as Cuba, Trinidad, Panama and Jamaica.

In the run-up to the first World cup qualifier of the last campaign Bermuda played around half a dozen games including matches against Nicaragua both home and away, Panama, Trinidad and Barbados. Heavy defeats in the earlier friendlies gave way to solid improvement said Thompson.

"The progress we saw was tremendous and it enabled us to be extremely competitive against a very good El Salvador team."

Bermuda lost by just one goal over the two-leg tie.

"If we don't put players in that sort of environment on a regular basis then we will come up against a El Salvador or a Cuba and almost stand no chance. At least in the last World Cup campaign we stood a chance of beating El Salvador. That was all due to the prior preparation we had."

He said it was still possible to pack in friendlies before the qualifiers start.

Thompson, who is now working in a temporary capacity, said the international programme lapsed after he was removed as national coach after the El Salvador game and had also stuttered before the Digicel campaign when he was back at the helm.

"I would have liked to see the programme continuing. The difference now is we now have the money to be continuous. It's just a matter of doing it but I understand the focus is on getting a Technical Director."

He said the stop-start programme had also affected his Under-23 side ¿ he had wanted games between the Island Games tournament in July and the Olympic qualifiers earlier this month but was left without matches to play.

"So they learned a little bit at the Island Games and then there is nothing for months until the Olympic qualifiers. We always get ourselves into a situation of doing something and stopping. There must be more continuity ¿ there is a huge difference between our domestic level and the international level."

Earlier this month his Under-23 side crashed out winless after three Olympic qualifiers in Cuba.

It might have seemed a bitter blow for Thompson who had prepared hard for the tournament with his young charges training for months ¿ culminating in twice-a-day sessions.

Thompson said: "We were disappointed, especially in the Cayman Islands and Puerto Rico matches because we totally dominated but with our ineffectiveness in front of goal we didn't get the result we were looking for."

Bermuda went down 6-0 to hosts Cuba after striker Antoine Russell was sent off for a rash tackle. Cuba were way ahead of all the other countries, said Thompson, but the sending off of Russell put the match beyond reach, although the thumping could have occurred even with 11 men.

"He was mature enough to admit he deserved his red card. We were all a bit upset he got the straight red yet a tackle on one of our players in the first ten minutes ¿ which was worse than the tackle Antoine did ¿ didn't even get a yellow."

Striker Russell missed the Cayman's 0-0 as toothless Bermuda failed to find the net. "We could have used his ability in front of goal with all the possession and chances we created."

But he said his team worked hard. "With a little bit of calmness and composure and a little bit of luck we could have gotten two wins out of the Puerto Rico and Cayman matches."

Thompson stressed Bermuda was in a developmental stage and needed to use the experience as a springboard for growth and with no fixtures arranged he has stood the Under-23 squad down as players get involved in the new season.