A fear that Bermuda's soccer season might be hit by another refereeing crisis has been voiced by a leading member of the Island's Football Association.

Games have had to be rescheduled in the past because of a shortage of men in black, but Aldwin Savery, chairman of the BFA's Referees Committee, said he had heard rumours that some existing officials were considering sitting out the new term - a move which would add to the impending chaos.

With the season under a month away, the Bermuda Referees' Association has yet to elect its officers despite attempts to do so on three occasions. Each time a meeting was held there were not enough people present to form the necessary quorum.

"I am very concerned," said Savery when asked about the situation. "Even though you have to consider the fact that July and August has always been a difficult time for them to hold meetings. During that period most people are away on holidays and it's really tough to get anything done."

Savery said he believed the referees should consider moving their meetings to either the beginning or end of the year when people were more likely to be around.

"I do hope they are able to resolve this because I want to have a closer relationship with them as we are falling desperately short of referees," he said.

Without the meeting it is hard to assess what the true situation is; which officials are still among the ranks, who has hung up their whistle and who might be making their debut in the centre circle.

Savery, however, said he was concerned about the rumours that some current referees might opt to stay at home on match day.

"I know that some are indicating that they are not coming out, so I am really concerned about what is going to happen," he said.

In a bid to counter any such move, Savery issued a plea to those who held the game dear to help out.

"I am asking the football public to come out and give us a hand, even if it is on a short-term basis," he said. "They can come out and help us and the sport as assistant referees if they don't want to be a full referee, but they must come out."

Ironically, the BRA is holding pre-season training tonight at the National Sports Centre at 6.30 p.m. for its members, but just who will be there remains to be seen.

It is not known when a fourth meeting is to be held by the BRA - neither president Richard Knight or vice-president Cal Simons were able to be contacted yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda Football Association has confirmed plans to bring United States Soccer Federation referees lecturer Alfred Kleinaitis to the Island next month for a series of clinics. The official has been to Bermuda in the past to conduct similar courses and these have been well received. More details are expected to be known shortly.