Referee Lyndon Raynor was left in a state of shock after being forced to abandon yesterday?s Friendship Trophy final between Somerset Eagles and North Village after just 19 minutes.

?This is the worst . . . I can?t even find words to describe it,? said Raynor. ?When you come to the point were you can?t have a football match because of the town and country (gangs) or whatever you want to call it . . . it makes you wonder is it really worth it?

?No matter what the BFA decide, no matter what the clubs decide . . . there?s an element that refuses to adhere to life and are hell bent on doing what they want to do.

?Where do we go from here? I really don?t know. But football was the loser today.?

Before either team had time to settle into any sort of rhythm in yesterday?s match, chaotic scenes unfolded on the right hand side of the scorer?s pavilion where a group of men set upon and attacked another group of men watching the game.

The melee ? which involved machetes, knives, concrete blocks and a plank of wood ? then spilled onto the pitch near the western goal as referee Raynor and players from both teams gathered inside the centre circle.

Players, fans and team officials stood in bewilderment as the group of men carried their attack over to the northern end of the ground (near the clubhouse) where one victim suffered stab wounds. Another lay on the ground directly below the scorer?s pavilion until an ambulance arrived.

Amid scenes of panic, the attackers ? seemingly oblivious to everyone around them ? brazenly brandished their weapons throughout the crowd before casually strolling across the field and exiting the ground.

Shortly after, Bermuda Football Association officials ? present at the match ? announced the game had been called off.

However, following the incident, the general consensus among players and fans was: ?Where were the Police??

No Police officers on duty were seen at the match at the time of the incident and by the time they did arrive the perpetrators had long made their escape, though Police moved quickly to set up a road block at the Causeway where they later apprehended five men, three of whom were believed to have been involved in the violence.

?It?s just unbelievable!? exclaimed Village substitute David Thomas who was within feet of the violence when it erupted.

?Football doesn?t hide the things that go on in the culture here . . . it is overflowing,? he added. ?I have never seen anything like it before, it?s shocking and I don?t know what else people need to see in order to realise this. I was shocked but I had to watch it because I couldn?t believe what I was seeing.?

Eagles? midfielder Nakia Smith described the incident as ?foolish?.

?It?s a shame. . . families coming out today to enjoy a beautiful day,? he said. ?It?s just ridiculous! I was wondering what was going on . . . it?s just foolishness. I am tired of it, I am ready to hang up my boots and get into something else (another sport) with my children like scrambling (motocross). I could do that instead on Sundays because this is just not worth it. Where were the Police? This would not have happened at the National Sports Centre.?

Village captain Keith Jennings believes more precautions should have been taken.

?They (Police) know this town and country violence is going on. You had three teams from up the country playing down here (Wellington Oval),? he said. ?If the game had been played at the stadium (NSC) you would have had Police presence. This is a field that is wide open and the Police only showed up after everything was done.?

?Football is finished,? added Jennings. ?Something has got to happen, either Government has to step in and put something into the sport because you can?t have football running like this.

?You need Police presence to protect both fans and players. A player could?ve been injured today. We need to have Police presence at the field or they need to secure the fields because this can?t keep going on.?

It was a view shared by team-mate Michael Hansey.

?It was a very ugly scene but at the same time I feel there should have been some Police presence here regardless,? he said.

?After witnessing an incident like this I don?t think people will want to come out to a football match. A lot of fans are not going to come out. This (violence) is hurting the game. We have seen the problem escalate but this was the worst yet.?