as the faint illumination they offered cast another giant shadow across the face of Bermudian football.

For the second time in a week, after a no-show for the Friendship Trophy on Tuesday night, Boulevard declined to take on Vasco, this time in a league match which offered the champions a chance to claim the title for a second successive year.

Officials from the club arrived in the gloom ten minutes before the scheduled start to inform the referee the team would not be turning up -- but it seemed the fans had already made up their own minds and decided not to bother themselves.

Despite the grim outlook, Boulevard representatives claimed the action would be of benefit to soccer in the long run while, perhaps surprisingly, a number of players from Vasco concurred.

Whatever, the action of Boulevard this week, and that of Hamilton Parish and Devonshire Cougars, who called off their game on Thursday night five minutes before kick-off, seems to have opened a can of worms that the BFA executive may find hard to contain.

The initial action was taken after the BFA executive decided to cancel last week's First Division programme, without rescheduling the games, in response to a series of violent incidents this term.

Vasco coach John Rebello was not happy, however.

He said: "I don't really want to comment, it's almost too hot a topic. I'm just disappointed. I understand everybody is trying to make a stand but this is not the right way to go about it.'' But one player from his side, national squad midfielder Tafari Outerbridge, said the game could go forward from its current low point by going semi-professional.

"This is going to benefit the game if it's handled in the right way,'' he said. "It's a change -- we've had a change of Government -- either it's got to change or it's going to die.

"As far as the players are concerned I feel like we don't have the motivation. I'm a worker, I'm a father, I feel like a slave.'' Team-mate Earl Richardson backed him up, adding: "Right now the players need more rewards. When teams win certain tournaments, the BFA need to give them jerseys or if a player is voted MVP they need to give him a plane ticket to go and learn more about the game.

"They need something bigger than trophies now.'' Referee Cal Simons found himself caught up in the situation for a second night in a row. He had been due to officiate the Cougars/Parish game and was getting changed when Boulevard president Lou Matthews told him his players would not be coming.

Matthews told The Royal Gazette he was representing the Boulevard players who had informed him they didn't want to perform as a show of solidarity for those who had declined to play on Thursday.

"They felt they shouldn't play until this situation has been sorted out and it's being sorted out now. One thing the players asked me to say on their behalf is that they are looking for a better sport.'' He added: "It's not just an issue of violence, it's time for a positive change. It's not a question of politics; the players are making their voices heard.'' He said it was not a question of the clubs wanting a confrontation with the BFA.

"You have to have the mindset that we are the BFA and the BFA are we. It's a painful process, but necessary. We are in support of more inclusion and more dialogue.'' That dialogue will continue on Tuesday when the BFA executive and the affiliates will come together to discuss the issues at a special meeting.