Stephen Coddington, the chairman of the Bermuda Football Association’s competitions committee, has stepped down after criticism over the decision this week to switch rescheduled FA Cup semi-final matches from Somerset Cricket Club.

The BFA’s decision on Wednesday to switch last night’s rescheduled matches back to Police Field “in the best interest of all parties concerned” did not go down well with Somerset Cricket Club.

They agreed to host the matches at short notice after last weekend’s postponement of three Premier Division games prompted the BFA to reschedule those matches for this Sunday and bring forward the two semi-finals from Sunday to last night.

However, they subsequently decided the matches would be moved back to Sunday at Police Field and the FA Cup semi-finals put back to April 17, pushing back the final to April 24.

It is understood the BFA, who made the decision after “considering the impact on all teams” had some reservations about hosting semi-finals at Somerset Cricket Club at night involving teams from central parishes, in this case PHC Zebras, Dandy Town, Devonshire Cougars and Robin Hood.

Reactions to the competitions committee’s handling of the affair yesterday prompted Coddington to step down.

He informed the clubs yesterday via e-mail, stating: “Thank you for expressing your thoughts on the fortitude and decision-making of the competitions committee.

“As chairperson I have done my level best to serve the footballing community over the past six years via this committee [and others].

“Clearly, it is the wish to have better direction. Therefore, with immediate effect I will resign from the competitions committee and as a result from the Bermuda Football Association’s Executive Committee.”

Yesterday, Larry Mussenden, the BFA president, said that Coddington had been asked to reconsider the decision.

“We have asked him to reconsider as he is and was a valuable member of the executive,” Mussenden said.

“Stephen did a great job in chairing our competitions committee where he managed our schedule of matches with great success.

“The Bermuda Football Association has rescheduled the remaining matches of the season. This action did not come about lightly.

“After the initial announcement, we were compelled to consider all mitigating factors from all affected stakeholders.

“This led to the decision to change the initial decision. We look forward to a robust FA Cup competition and an intriguing relegation battle.”

However, yesterday the BFA was taken to task by Alfred Maybury, the Somerset president, over its decision to switch the rescheduled matches, after his club had already made plans to host the double-header.

“If the competitions committee doesn’t have the fortitude to make a decision and stand by it then they need to resign,” Maybury said in an e-mail sent to the BFA and copied to member clubs.

“The first decision should have been made in the interest of football and ‘all parties concerned’, and I’m of the belief that it was. This decision is now made in the interest of whom? Because it is of no value to football and the clubs when decisions are made at the national level to pacify a few.”

When contacted yesterday by The Royal Gazette, Maybury declined to speak publicly on the matter, only saying: “I have made my comments to the BFA, and it is my hope that the situation is addressed within the family of football.”

In his e-mail Maybury also alluded to the island’s social issues and the impact they have had on football.

“The clubs made a decision that was supported by the administration of the association to stand up to those involved in antisocial behaviours, and if teams still have players that are involved and limited as to where they can play on this island that is something they must address,” Maybury reminded the BFA and clubs.

“And we made it clear as an organisation that we would work to remove this from football.

“It is very clear that this position is held by some and not all, and definitely not by the Association itself.”