Bermuda Football Association chief Larry Mussenden fully expects to remain in charge following this Thursday night?s Annual General Meeting at Police Recreation Club.

While there has been talk behind the scenes of a group consisting of former top coaches and administrators lobbying for the removal of the BFA president, the former Bermuda Regiment Major and current Attorney General and Cabinet member remains ?confident? of his chances of re-election.

?I have called around and spoken to most of the clubs and actually met with some of them,? said Mussenden yesterday. ?I have spoken to them quite frankly and put forward my track record which is something that was achieved with the co-operation of BFA executives and affiliates. And what?s important is that in the previous three years they (affiliates) have been in favour of most of our decisions and have always been made aware of other decisions which have been made.

?So we have enjoyed their full support and for that we are very grateful.?

Mussenden said his administration had enjoyed ?open? dialogue with affiliates throughout his term in office and it was for this reason he was confident he could garner sufficient support during Thursday?s AGM.

He added: ?There has been communication over a period of time through a very high level and going forward I have already mapped out certain areas where we need to continue our work. And as far as that is concerned I haven?t made any promises to the affiliates.

?They have already seen how we work and the things we have managed to achieve. We know there is still a lot of work which needs to be done. But we are confident it can be achieved going forward with the continued support of the affiliates and administration.?

According to reliable sources, the group opposing Mussenden have based their campaign around two key issues ? the appointment of a technical director and the view that the BFA president is presently wearing too many hats.

Mussenden disagreed.

?People feel that I wear too many hats but when I first became president I was wearing more hats then than I am now. I was second-in-command of the Bermuda Regiment and involved on a Government Board. I was also more active as a defence attorney. There were times when I was committed to a trial which ran up to six or seven weeks and I had to be in a court room every day and had to also attend to football matters outside of those times.

?But I no longer sit on any Government Board and I?m no longer in the Regiment and so currently I am wearing less hats and I have a very structured calendar and structured style to keep organised. I have what is really a job as a politician which encompasses being a political Attorney General and a political Senator. Therefore I don?t feel I have any more on my plate than the next person who is involved in football.?

Mussenden said he had ?ample? time for his job as Attorney General and to devote to football.

?There?s more than ample time for me to do the things that are required in both my political job as well as for my other interest which is football,? he added. ?I don?t see any problem with that and what?s funny is that the people who are alleging that are doing so without even speaking to me about it. This so-called rebel group, from what I understand, aren?t even affiliated with any club at the moment.?

As for the appointment of a technical director, Mussenden revealed the only reason why the association were without one was because of a recommendation and subsequent mandate by a BFA technical committee, then headed up by Robert Calderon who resigned from his post last year under mysterious circumstances.

?When Robert was the chairman of the technical committee he recommended and mandated that we would not have a technical director,? he explained. ?What he (Calderon) did recommend is that we appoint a youth director which we do have because Robert was one of the people who interviewed and made a decision to hire Kenny Thompson (current BFA youth director). So the reason why we don?t have a technical director at this point is because Robert as chairman (of the technical committee) recommended and then decided that we didn?t require one. And since then Robert has resigned.?

Long-serving BFA executive Jon Beard replaced Calderon as chairman of the BFA?s technical committee and, according to Mussenden, the issue of a technical director came to the fore long before the formation of the opposing group.

?That (technical director) was discussed before any issues of this election came about,? he said. ?As far as budgeting and providing funding for a technical director is concerned, we have already put that in place and have identified the funds required and sought funding for it.

?But it must be made clear the reason why we don?t have a technical director is because Robert (Calderon) recommended we don?t have one. What we are looking to now have in place is a youth director, a technical director and a national coach. However, these things take time to develop and considerable funding.?