And it's a matter which Bermuda Football Association will be investigating thoroughly, said president Neville Tyrrell.

"The sport is not totally damaged, it's been bruised but at the same time we are monitoring it closely. We see it as an isolated incident that will be dealt with by our disciplinary committee,'' said Tyrrell.

Sunday's offender was Ian DeSilva of Social Club who is alleged to have struck the referee with several punches after the two had exchanged words. DeSilva had been tackled by a St. David's player -- a challenge which the referee didn't regard as an infringement. And that apparently infuriated DeSilva.

Upon hearing of the incident, the BFA president called Swan on Monday morning to discuss the matter. Tyrrell said he was pleased to hear that the official hadn't been harmed.

"I was saddened to hear what happened on Sunday because we have gone through a long period of quiet -- the players were going along with our programme of emphasising fair play, something that we have been trying to instil for some time.

"It is a contact sport and there can be volatile situations, and it appears that is what happened on Sunday. The first thing that I did on Monday morning was to give the referee that was involved a call, reassuring him that he was going to have our support and he reassured me that all was well with him and he had no intention of backing down from officiating.'' Tyrrell added: "As far as the individual is concerned I expect him to go through the usual disciplinary procedure. The clubs have already stated that they are prepared to back suspensions from ground to ground. And it's something that they themselves will have to enforce. "I cringe every time I hear of something like this because it does set the programme back. How far it sets it back I can't say in measurable terms but something like this does not bode well for the sport.'' The president said he applauded the fact that Swan allowed the game to continue after such a serious incident.