forced out of a junior World Cup qualifying tournament.

The association were due to send a team to the Cayman Islands earlier this week to take part in the four-team group stage of the under-17 event which also features Cuba and the US Virgin Islands.

But just three days before the players were to leave, the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) informed the BFA that the Caymans were no longer able to host the tournament and that the Virgin Islands had pulled out.

Matters moved on when the association was then told the games had been rescheduled for next week and that the Virgin Islands were indeed going to play.

BFA General Secretary David Sabir was clearly angered by the situation.

"This means that our team players and officials would have had to alter previously made plans, including being away from school, in order to depart Bermuda on Monday,'' he said.

"Notwithstanding, this decision also means an additional cost of $8,000 to the BFA for changing the airline reservations, plus one overnight stay in New York on returning, plus additional expenses that would be incurred on tour due to the extra days of the competition.'' Sabir said he had been in touch with both the CFU and regional governing body, CONCACAF, in a bid to resolve the situation.

And he said the BFA had even offered to stage the group tournament on the Island at the beginning of January so nobody felt disadvantaged.

As the day drew to a close yesterday the BFA were still awaiting responses.

Asked what he expected to hear, Sabir said: "We are hoping first of all that we get notification of a decision before they go ahead and have a tournament.

In any case our exclusion would not end there -- I can assure you that the Bermuda FA will not rest until we get a satisfactory resolution.'' Sabir said the current situation was neither to Bermuda's advantage nor the tournament as a whole.

And when asked how far the BFA were prepared to go to ensure the Island's teenagers participated, he said: "We will go to FIFA. It's the difference between participating and not participating -- it's as simple as that.'' Chuck Blazer, general secretary of CONCACAF, confirmed he had had discussions with Sabir.

"We have been informed by Mr Sabir of the sequence of occurrences with regard to the changes that have occurred and what the position of the federation is,'' he said. "This will be discussed this weekend, but at this point I really don't have any comment.

"There is no conclusion with regard to it at this point. They have expressed their position, that is understood, and that will be discussed and then as soon as I have anything more definitive I will advise them.'' Nobody from the CFU was available for comment.