CHAMPIONS Cup?

Hardly!

If ever there was a misnomer this was it.

The new festive tournament cobbled together by Bermuda Football Association at the last minute in the absence of any incoming tour might have seemed a good idea at the time, but it all appears to have gone horribly wrong.

Few of the players or the coaches have shown any interest in taking part, and one suspects local spectators might take a similar view - although given the fact that there's precious little other sporting entertainment over the Christmas and New Year holiday, it may still prove a success.

But no matter how the competition unfolds, it seems if the majority of clubs had had their way they would have preferred to stay at home.

Since the format for the tournament was unveiled, involving the four top Premier Division and First Division clubs, two have withdrawn and another two declined invitations to fill the void.

Ireland Rangers and Boulevard both cited a long injury-list and the fear of picking up more casualties as the reason for their non-participation, while for North Village and Somerset Trojans it was a case of ‘thanks, but no thanks', presumably for similar reasons.

Blazers coach Johnny Rebello perhaps echoed the sentiments of a few of his colleagues when he said earlier this week: “It's something that was brought up two weeks ago and it makes absolutely no sense because it certainly doesn't help football . . . throwing this tournament in at the last minute.”

That probably hit the nail right on the head.

Putting together a competition at such late notice gave nobody chance to prepare.

To be fair to BFA, their options were limited.

Had the national team progressed through the first round of the Caribbean Digicel Cup, they would have had to play second round matches both last Sunday and the previous weekend. And success in those games would have led to further matches early in the New Year.

Thus, any incoming tour would have likely burdened the BFA with extra expense they can ill afford and inflicted too heavy a workload on players required for national team duty.

As it was, Bermuda never progressed through the first round and their early elimination left the governing body little time to organise what has become a traditional holiday event - in recent years in the form of the Dudley Eve Cup.

In hindsight they may feel it would have been better simply to leave a hole in the schedule.

Given the demands of league and cup competitions already in existence, most players would have probably welcomed the extended break.

And if there's a lack of enthusiasm on the part of players and coaches, as there clearly has been towards this tournament, it's only to be expected that the public will demonstrate similar apathy.

* * * *

A CASE of deja vu?

With cricket's next ICC Trophy just around the corner, that feeling would seem to fit Bermuda's predicament perfectly.

In 2001 the Island team entered the same World Cup qualifier totally unprepared.

A national coach - Roland Butcher - came and went in a matter of months without making any useful contribution. His replacement, Mark Harper, arrived at the 11th hour with too little time and too few warm-up games to make any impact.

Now here we are four years later in exactly the same stew.

As our ICC rivals - Canada, Ireland, Scotland, USA, Denmark, Holland, et al - jet around the world making final preparations for the big event, Bermuda's players have to make do with a couple of weekly training sessions.

There is no national coach, nor as far as we can see, any plan.

Reports have surfaced about the Board having drawn up a short list of applicants - South Africa's Darryl Cullinan and Scotland-based Clarence Parfitt have been the names most frequently mentioned - but with the New Year fast approaching, no appointment announced.

Should a decision be taken today - and of course, it won't - it would be unlikely any overseas coach could take up the post until February at earliest.

And that would leave just five months to get the team in shape and organise the necessary tours, either incoming or outgoing.

Why the delay?

Bermuda Cricket Board could best answer that question, although given their reluctance to offer any information to the public, we won't hold our breath.

But it's safe to say that, as usual, finance is at the root of the problem.

Harper was let go when his contract expired in the summer because the BCB could no longer afford to retain him.

And without any help from Government, the BCB's coffers can't have improved any since then.

In that respect, the BCB can't shoulder all of the blame for cricket's current plight.

While Sports Minister Dale Butler quite rightly demands fiscal responsibility from all those who request taxpayer hand-outs, he has to remember that it was this Government who very proudly declared both cricket and soccer as the national sports.

And if Government want to make such a declaration, it's incumbent on them to give that sport the necessary financial backing.

It's all very well spending millions of dollars on submitting a bid for the next World Cup (West Indies 2007).

But wouldn't some of that money be much better spent on ensuring that our own team have a fighting chance of qualifying for that event.

Without a coach to lead the team, we barely have a dog's chance.

Have a Happy Christmas!