scheduled tour by Puerto Rico next week has been cancelled.

It is understood the visitors had difficulty meeting the costly travel arrangements.

Officials from the tour hosts, Police Recreation Club, could not be reached for comment yesterday and Bermuda Football Association were also tight-lipped.

"Police were hosting the tour and we are still trying to get something official from them,'' was all BFA general secretary David Sabir would say.

Puerto Rico were to visit from December 17 to December 24, playing four matches, one against Bermuda's senior national team on December 19 and another against a Bermuda Select squad on December 23. Opponents in the other matches had not been named.

The tour was seen as crucial for the national squad in that it offered much-needed match practice for the Shell/Caribbean Cup in the Cayman Islands in April. Puerto Rico are also in that tournament and were seen as ideal opponents for Bermuda.

They are in Group Five with Haiti, Dominican Republic and the US Virgin Islands. Bermuda are in Group Six along with Cayman Islands, Cuba and Turks and Caicos Islands.