The saga of the seven Under-23 soccer players arrested in Miami could have been avoided -- had team officials heeded alarm bells.

This is the firm belief of Government's board of inquiry into the soccer drugs crisis.

And one of those accused of failing to pick up the danger signals was Bermuda Football Association first vice-president Mr. Neville Tyrrell.

Mr. Tyrrell was the Head of Delegation during the Under-23 team's Pan Am Games qualifying tournament in Jamaica.

The board said it believed some players had been smoking marijuana in Jamaica before the Miami International Airport arrests.

Could the arrests of the seven players have been avoided, it asked.

"The answer is most certainly. It is surprising, admittedly in hindsight, that following all the allegations and suspicions of drug use in Jamaica, it was not more obvious to the Head of Delegation and other team officials.'' The board pointed out Under-23 coach Mark Trott reported on his return to Bermuda that Mr. Tyrrell had never warned the players about being searched in Miami. This could have been done on the day of departure to the airport, Mr.

Trott had claimed.

But the board added Mr. Tyrrell should not be singled out for blame.

"There is no evidence to indicate that the coach, for instance, at that point warned the players, or insisted that baggage to be checked-in and hand luggage should be searched by officials.'' The board said there was little evidence of BFA concern about drugs before the ill-fated tournament.

"This was notwithstanding the team was going to Jamaica, notorious for its availability of marijuana, and returning via Miami, which is sometimes referred to as the marijuana capital of the world, because it is a major point of entry into the US for marijuana.'' Although there was no "conclusive evidence'' of pot smoking, the board stated in its report there were "strong suspicions''.

"It was reported to the Board of Inquiry that the first such suspicion occurred during a practice match with a local team.

"Jamaican spectators watching the match commented or observed that many of Bermuda's players playing in the match were `high'.

"The captain of the Bermuda team heard the comments and was sufficiently concerned to report them to the Bermuda officials.'' During a meeting, three players suspected of taking marijuana admitted to being smokers, the board continued.

But it was never established whether they had smoked in Jamaica.

"Many of those we interviewed were able to `name' players in the squad who were smokers in Bermuda and expressed the opinion that they would be very surprised if they were not smoking in Jamaica.'' The board also touched on the case of Shawn Riley, one of the seven arrested in Miami.

Even after the BFA were made aware of suspicions of drug use, Riley, who was facing a heroin possession charge in Bermuda, was sent to Jamaica.

His word that he had no problem was "accepted'', the board said.

The board also pointed out that five of the seven players suspected of smoking in Jamaica were arrested in Miami, and later allowed home after pleading "no contest'' to possessing marijuana.

The court case, however, left the following questions unanswered: Why did a TV journalist who had been with the team in Jamaica state that players -- other than those detained in Miami -- had been asked to smuggle drugs in their luggage?; Why, in Miami, did one player insist to US Customs that he had only one checked bag, even though there were two claim tags attached to his documents? When they inspected it, they found it contained personal items belonging to that player together with marijuana. The player also had a key which fitted the lock of the suitcase; Why was another player caught by US Customs trying to remove the sneakers he was wearing? As a result, Customs spiked the soles of the sneakers and discovered marijuana; and Why did yet another player have drugs in two body belts in his hand luggage? "The public will reach their own conclusions, and in the circumstances, the players who were arrested in Miami will have to live with these unanswered questions always hanging over their heads,'' the report added.