Affiliates of Bermuda Football Association have called for a special meeting to discuss the validity of the vote which last week gave Neville Tyrrell a second term as the body's president.

At least seven affiliates are understood to have signed a letter calling for the meeting after Tyrrell edged Mark Trott for the BFA presidency in a 13-12 vote at last Monday's AGM.

It was the casting ballot of presiding officer Eugene Blakeney which proved decisive after a 12-12 tie.

Some who have spoken to The Royal Gazette believe that the electoral process breached rules set out in the BFA constitution and is therefore open to challenge.

Whether or not that is the case and whether another election is needed will be top of the agenda, should the special meeting take place.

Either a group of member organistaions or the president are entitled to call a special meeting.

Last week, the 22 BFA affiliates (the clubs, plus the Referees' Association and the Bermuda School Sports Federation) voted, plus first vice-president Aldwin Savery and treasurer Delroy O'Brien from the Executive Committee.

Trott's supporters have claimed their man won the backing of the affiliates by 12 votes to 10 in the secret ballot and that it was the votes of Savery and O'Brien which forced the tie.

A signed reader's letter to The Royal Gazette by someone who wished to be described as "A Concerned Football Fan'' spelled out what appeared to be the crux of the affiliates' concerns.

The author claimed that as Nominations Committee chairman, Blakeney should not have been allowed to serve in a second capacity on the night, that of presiding officer.

The letter went on to suggest that Savery, as the highest-ranking executive officer still in office, should have served as presiding officer, according to the constitution.

That would have left Blakeney without a vote. And Savery, as a presiding officer only allowed to vote in the event of a tie would also have lost his ballot.

Since the total number of votes cast would have been 23 instead of 24, a tie would have been impossible and Savery could not have been called upon to vote.

The constitution, amended in July, 1996, makes it clear that those serving on the executive are allowed to vote. But at previous meetings, the case for limiting voting rights to the affiliates at general meetings has also been stated.

A paragraph in the minutes of the BFA AGM of 1989, obtained yesterday by The Royal Gazette , stated: "The returning officer informed the affiliates that according to the constitution, and on the advice of the association's legal advisor, only the affiliates can vote at a general meeting. Because of this, there will be only 21 ballots for the remaining officers.'' And only the affiliates did vote on that occasion, with Charlie Marshall being elected second vice-president, defeating Elroy Ratteray by 14 votes to seven.

The returning officer that evening was the late Sir John Sharpe and the president at the time was Donald Dane.

When Tyrrell was first elected BFA president, on a 16-2 vote in July, 1996, the vote was also affiliates only.

But that AGM could not be compared to last week's because the entire executive committee had resigned beforehand to allow a completely new administration to be elected.

Trott, who was voted in as second vice-president last week after losing the presidential ballot but resigned his new post two days later, was off the Island yesterday and could not be contacted.