Bermuda soccer was last night coming to grips with what could become its most crippling blow ever in the wake of seven Under-23 players being charged with importing and possessing marijuana in the United States last Friday.

In a significant provisional ruling issued by CONCACAF, in concert with FIFA, the Bermuda Football Association received the grim news it clearly was not prepared to hear.

BFA general secretary David Sabir was notified by CONCACAF president Jack Warner shortly before 1 p.m. yesterday that if any of the seven players arrested in Miami last week are found guilty at their trials on December 30, Bermuda's Under-23 squad will be suspended from all soccer activities for a two-year period.

The BFA would also be fined US$10,000 and would not receive the US$75,000 it has been promised as a result of qualifying for the Pan-Am Games in Argentina next March.

Not only would a Bermuda soccer team be prevented from competing in Argentina, the squad would also be outlawed from participating at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The two-year ban could also put into jeopardy Bermuda's participation in the 1998 World Cup since qualifying will begin during the next two years.

Warner said the punishment -- which would be the harshest ever meted out in CONCACAF's 32-year history -- was decided after a four-hour telephone call from his office in Trinidad to FIFA general secretary Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland.

BFA president Richard Thompson, contacted by The Royal Gazette shortly after the provisional ruling was issued, said that he was unaware of what had transpired.

"I have no comment,'' said Thompson from his office. "Obviously, the BFA most certainly will have to meet, so I have nothing to say.'' Said Sabir last night: "I have no comment. Until we see the official communique from CONCACAF only then will we say something. We have nothing official in writing. I won't comment on the spoken word. I need to see everything in detail and in writing as to the content and provisions and certainly any other background material.'' Under-23 head coach Mark Trott, who spent part of the afternoon with Technical Director of Coaching Burkhard Ziese, preferred to remain upbeat when reacting to the difficult news.

"All of this has happened so fast I haven't really thought about it,'' he said last night. "I'm still trying to sit back and take in the complete magnitude of the decision that was made, even though it was provisional.

"In many respects it's very far-reaching. If you're realistic about it, it means the Pan American Games, it means the Olympic Games and it would also include the World Cup.

"At the end of the day you can only wait and see if FIFA and CONCACAF will uphold the decision.'' Later he added: "It was provisional, so to me there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. We haven't been kicked out yet, we're still in the tournament and I refuse to be pessimistic about the situation.'' Trott met with Under-23 players on Tuesday night at the BFA office. He said the overall mood of team at the time was buoyant.

"They were very much looking forward to continuing to train for Argentina.

For me that has to be the situation until someone tells us otherwise. I believe at the end of the day we'll come through with flying colours.'' Yesterday's stunning news comes seven days after Shawn Riley, Donnie Charles, Keishon Smith, Kevin Jennings, Herbert Dillas, Tokia Russell and Meshach Wade were charged after US Customs officials arrested them at Miami International Airport.

Two days later, BFA officials put on a brave face and insisted they would still be permitted to play in the Pan-Am Games despite the unfolding scandal.

The latest setback, after a marvellous qualifying run which saw the Under-23s defeat Canada and then Jamaica to earn their ticket to Argentina, casts a deepening pall on Bermuda soccer.

"If the (court) ruling is in their favour the suspensions shall be lifted,'' Warner told The Royal Gazette yesterday. "If it is not decided in their favour they shall be suspended for two years from all football.'' When asked what would happen if only one or two of the players were found guilty Warner said: "One, two, three, four, five, six or seven, there's no bit of difference.'' He was reticent to say how CONCACAF would react if Bermuda players were released from prison but put on a permanent stop list, barring them from entering the US in the future.

"There has never been a team in CONCACAF history that this has happened to.

There have never been offences like this before in CONCACAF. This has shocked the world because Bermuda has always been regarded as one of those English, disciplined kinds of society.'' Warner revealed that Sabir considered the penalty a harsh one and "he asked why Bermuda should suffer for the alleged improprieties of seven people. I told him the rules are quite clear.'' The CONCACAF executive, in his post for the last four years, hinted the penalties would not be as severe if only one player had been detained last week.

"I doubt it,'' he said. "But seven players does give the impression that it's almost 50 percent of the team.'' According to Warner, Sabir also asked whether the BFA would be able to appeal the ruling.

"They asked about that, and I told them they can, but it would be premature at this stage because everything will be decided on December 30.

"If I was them I would wait until then to see what their options are. But I would also tell them that appeals of this nature have never been won.'' Warner said that he hoped other nations under the CONCACAF umbrella would now see how drug abuse of any kind would not be tolerated.

"We are meeting on February 10 in Hawaii to determine how we can strengthen drug rules so we can prevent this thing from happening again.'' If the players are charged and the two year ban is upheld, Jamaica would likely replace Bermuda in Argentina.

Keeping progress of Bermuda's sorry plight, Jamaican soccer officials were awaiting official word from CONCACAF today.

"It would be unfortunate and I'm not really pleased to be admitted back into the competition under these types of circumstances,'' Jamaican Football Association general secretary Las Walcott said yesterday. "But we would also welcome that opportunity to at least represent the Caribbean along with Trinidad.

"Believe me, I am deeply saddened,'' Walcott added. "I remember a couple of years ago when one of our players was convicted for marijuana and it really not only affected football but people all over Jamaica.'' Walcott rebuked charges that Jamaican officials planted drugs on the Bermuda players.

"We wouldn't stoop so low to qualify,'' he said. "It wouldn't befit our character or football in this country.'' Regarding the possibility that drugs were planted on the players, Warner said: "There seems to be an attempt to say that the thing had been planted and that, of course, has not found much weight in many quarters.'' While Trott was stunned by the severity of the punishment facing Bermuda, Walcott said that "there must be some code of conduct CONCACAF operates from.

Knowing CONCACAF it was not a decision that was taken lightly.'' Walcott said he was surprised of the charges that had befallen the seven players, never for once believing Bermuda players were involved in drugs.

"The team was jovial and everybody was in high spirits. I was most surprised when we heard about this.'' Warner added: "As a point of course I was sympathetic with the BFA president (Thompson) because I know him quite well. We go back a long way. We even had lunch together recently and we spoke at length about the future of football in Bermuda.

"That meeting was so fruitful that I was about to send him a note telling him I hoped this was the beginning of a bright future.'' CALM BEFORE THE STORM -- Coach Mark Trott talks with members of the ill-fated Bermuda Under-23 squad prior to their departure for Jamaica. Following the drug arrests in Miami, the Under-23s now face a two-year international ban.