Charles Marshall, a former referee and Bermuda Football Association president, is confident the gun violence that has spilled over into the Island’s sports community can be tackled.

Marshall, who gave up the BFA presidency 20 years ago to Richard Thompson shortly after the country’s most successful World Cup qualifying campaign in 1994, attended yesterday’s Special Congress Meeting organised by football’s governing body at Devonshire Recreation Club.

He left feeling encouraged by what he had heard.

“My feeling is everybody there is very sincere in working together to eradicate this problem that we have in our society,” Marshall, who served as BFA president for four years, said.

“Everybody realises that it is not one individual problem ... not a police problem, not a Government problem, but a community problem.

“Everybody was passionate and spoke very vocally about those who know who these persons are and urged them to come forward to the authorities so we can help them come out of this.

“Getting them and locking them up is not the answer, the issue is to show them that they are a part of our community, our brothers and sisters, people we work with who somehow have gone astray and we need to help them.

“Through football we can help them if they want to be helped.”

At the meeting, the BFA’s affiliates thrashed out ideas on tackling the social problems that have seeped into football.

The postponement of league games yesterday meant there remains safety concerns surrounding football fixtures after the shootings last week.

“Certainly it was expressed that the random shootings could have been anybody and is totally, totally unacceptable behaviour by those who are doing it,” Marshall said.

“They have not given any thought that those people they are shooting at could be anybody, somebody they know or somebody in the business community, which would do a great damage to this community, much bigger than the hurricane that just hit us.”

Added Marshall: “The persons themselves have to come to the conclusion that they cannot continue on with the lifestyle they are in right now and that they want to change.

“Everybody there is prepared to help and the Government, I think, will come forward and try to assist where they can.

“There has to be a will to do it and we all have to be on the same page. The past is finished and those who dwell on the past will perish with the past. We have to move forward and find solutions.”

Marshall can remember only once when football was stopped because of violence — more than 30 years ago when a referee was attacked.

“There was once when football was cancelled when Tony Clift was attacked at a game at PHC Stadium and all the referees withdrew their services,” said Marshall.

“This cannot continue to happen, we must play football, it helps keep social order in this country and is a vital tool developed by many, many people with great sacrifices.

“I’m a product of that, if it wasn’t for sports, in particular football, I wouldn’t be where I am today, no doubt about that.”