If a week is a long time in politics the past seven days have seemed like an eternity in football.

The almost daily revelations about corruption at the highest levels of Fifa show no signs of slowing and the fallout is likely to continue for months, if not years, to come.

Bermuda, through its delegation in Zurich last week and the connections the Island has to Concacaf, has had a front-row seat to the most significant upheaval to ever hit the game, and its officials a bird’s-eye view.

Administrators, players, fans, and casual observers have had a multitude of questions since the first seven officials were arrested, and these questions only grew in number and intensity when the presidential election went on regardless.

Bermuda Football Association has been steadfast in its refusal to say who it voted for, maintaining that by its very nature a secret ballot must remain secret. Leaving aside the fact that the BFA is partly funded by the taxpayer — taxpayers who might feel they have a right to know — there have also been questions as to who made the final decision on whether to back Sepp Blatter, or Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.

Several members of the BFA executive have said privately that they were not consulted, an assertion the BFA has disputed.

“The BFA executive was consulted on the candidates and their manifestos,” the BFA said. “A BFA delegation attended the Fifa congress to participate and to vote. At the congress, there were various meetings which the delegates and the candidates attended. There was discussion with and about the candidates.

“The arrests and bribery scandal erupted causing additional considerations about the candidates. Further, each candidate was allowed to make a presentation at the Fifa congress before the vote. The BFA delegation considered all the information and presentations and made the decision.”

Bermuda was well represented in Zurich, with Larry Mussenden, the BFA president, Mark Wade, first vice-president, Gregory Grimes, second vice-president, and Cresant Williams, an executive member, all attending in various guises.

However, the arrests of high-ranking Concacaf officials Jeffrey Webb, Jack Warner, and Chuck Blazer, among others, have cast a pall over the entire region, even though the BFA maintain that the actions of the few should not reflect badly on the many.

“There are many people in Concacaf, elected officials and staff, who are committed to the proper development and administration of football,” the BFA said. “This group far exceeds the group of people who have been implicated in the investigation and indictments.

“The BFA is confident that there are a huge number of football administrators who serve football and the public for all the proper reasons, most without pay or remuneration.”

Bermuda’s reputation among Fifa’s member nations as an Island of integrity is one that the BFA have worked hard to maintain, and any suggestion that the Association’s officials have been tainted by the events of the past week is not one that goes down well. Mussenden is the head of Fifa’s appeals committee, David Sabir, the BFA general secretary, worked for Fifa at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while several other officials have posts within Concacaf.

“We do not consider ourselves tainted as we have always represented Bermuda internationally with the highest level of integrity,” the BFA said. “To imply or suggest otherwise would be unbelievably disrespectful as there is nothing to suggest otherwise.

“We are committed to making a positive contribution locally and internationally and we will always strive to better the organisations of which we are a part. It is important for Bermuda to be represented at the international level and it is significant that Bermudians and Bermuda are well respected around the world for our contributions.”

That level of respect was certainly enhanced when it emerged in 2011 that Bermuda officials were among the few that refused to take a bribe from Mohamed Bin Hammam, who was challenging Blatter for the Fifa presidency. It was, according to the BFA, the only time any of its officials were approached in this manner.

There has always been the belief, however, that Blatter’s longevity was in large part due to his willingness to provide funding for the development of the game in smaller nations, and the Caribbean region benefited as much as anywhere in this regard.

Through the Fifa Goal Projects, Bermuda received $1.3million towards the cost of the Clyde Best Centre of Excellence, while Cayman Islands, where Webb is from, received $2.2m from the same programme to build a state of the art facility that is not yet finished.

“There was never any quid pro quo, understanding spoken or unspoken for receipt of the funds,” the BFA said. “The BFA applied for the Goal Project funding according to the regulations that all national associations must adhere and was successful in such applications.

“The BFA was not treated any differently from all other national associations around the world from the big nations to the tiniest nations such as ourselves.”