Usually the month of March signals a winding down of the football season, but Bermuda Football Association still have plenty left on their plate in the final few weeks of the campaign.

Still to be addressed is the status of the abandoned FA Cup semi-final between Devonshire Colts and Boulevard which sparked the current crisis.

Boulevard's Haile Outerbridge forced the game to be abandoned early in the second half when, upon being sent off, he threw a bottle at referee Anthony Mouchette which hit him in the back.

The BFA have not yet dealt with Outerbridge but his club have already slapped him with a two-year ban, something which their president Lou Matthews reluctantly confirmed on television on the weekend.

Also on the table for the BFA executives to discuss are last week's three midweek games which were called off by the players in an act of defiance to the association's decision to cancel a complete round of matches. Two of those were league matches while the other was the Friendship semi-final.

How the BFA rules on those three games could determine places in the two cup finals and also the First Division championship and last relegation place.

Ironically, the three matches in question involved the two clubs -- Boulevard and Devonshire Cougars -- whose players were involved in the most recent incidents.

Club representatives are expected to be very vocal this evening when they meet with BFA officials at Devonshire Recreation Club (6.00) to thrash out their concerns.

"We're looking for open dialogue,'' admitted BFA general secretary David Sabir yesterday.

"We're obviously giving the clubs an opportunity to express whatever concerns they may have regarding the issue and give the executive committee an opportunity to provide some feedback on things they see as being important to football.

"Hopefully, we can come about with some resolutions that will enable football, and those involved in football, to work together in cooperation.'' Sabir stressed the decision on the matches not played will be made after the meeting is held with the clubs.

"Sometimes great things come out of situations such as this,'' said Sabir.

"If we walk away from this situation without having done anything to improve what it is we're all talking about, then this is when we can look back and say it has been the darkest moment for foothall.'' No doubt the BFA will hear from affiliates who are unhappy with their decision to cancel one round of matches, a decision which had a bearing on the title race.

Rudolph Hollis, president of title contenders North Village, declined comment before tonight's meeting, but was looking forward to the meeting.

"With all the tension that's out there in football I think it would be inappropriate to comment until the affiliates and the association have had an opportunity to discuss the situation,'' said Hollis, whose view was shared by a couple of other club officials contacted yesterday.

"There is disappointment, you can say that much, but outside of that I would rather have the opportunity to discuss it tomorrow and hopefully get all these matters resolved.'' The fact that the three weekend matches went ahead while the midweek games did not might suggest a differing of opinion by clubs and players over how to handle the latest crisis in football.

While Cougars decided against playing their match with bottom team Hamilton Parish, the other team in the relegation fight, Southampton Rangers, went ahead and played their match against Somerset Trojans on Sunday. The 3-1 win guaranteed their survival, depending on what happens with the Cougars-Parish match.

"I think those (players) who may have decided not to play may have wanted to play but there is also peer pressure,'' said Town coach Mark Trott on the weekend after his team's match with Village went ahead.

Stand back: Randy Spence of North Village shields the ball from Dandy Town's McLee Smith during First Division action on Sunday at Bernard Park. In one of only two matches completed this month, Town won 3-0 to take over sole possession of second place.

Crisis meeting From Page 15 "If the majority of the guys decide they don't want to play you would probably go along with it as well. At the end of the day it is not a good thing for football and the best we can do is meet on Tuesday, the affiliates and the BFA, sort it out and decide what should be done in the future.

"Two wrongs are never going to make a right. The association didn't take the league from us, we messed up ourselves. Their decision last week never affected us.'' Sabir is confident common sense will prevail. "We do have people in our organisations who have the best interest of football, despite the fact that sometimes we may take different paths to get there,'' he stated.

"The common denomimator is our love of football. We just have to find a way to channel the energies that we have so that in trying to reach the same objectives that we have, we do it as efficiently as we can.''