hardly surprised genuine supporters of the sport.

As Bermuda Football Association president Neville Tyrrell was quick to point out, the end of game brawl which sent a Police officer to hospital with stab wounds wasn't so much a reflection of soccer but of today's Bermuda in general.

Most of those responsible for the melee were reportedly in their teens or early to mid 20s -- the same age range so often condemned for Bermuda's social ills.

The BFA, and in particular Somerset Cricket Club where incidents of this type are not altogether uncommon, must, of course, shoulder some of the blame. The fight and subsequent stabbing took part at an event where an admission fee had been charged and where spectators had a right to feel safe and secure.

BFA chiefs will be acutely aware that, having worked so hard to turn the sport around in the wake of the "Miami Seven'' debacle, nothing will serve more to undo that good work than incidents such as those on Tuesday.

Promoting soccer as a "spectator sport for the whole family'' will hold little credence if knife-wielding people are allowed to threaten and intimidate those on and off the pitch.

But we agree with Mr. Tyrrell. This isn't a problem which the BFA could or should attempt to tackle alone.

Parents -- some of those flailing their fists were as young as 15-years-old -- must play their part.

Police have a duty to use their powers more forcefully. It's been suggested by reliable sources that after Tuesday's stabbing victim was carried away from Somerset by Police colleagues, the fighting continued -- with not a Police officer in sight.

The Island's judiciary, too, needs to wake up to the fact that violence of this type must be dealt with severely.

Magistrate Cheryl-Ann Mapp's decision to acquit two teenagers of assaulting a schoolteacher, in the face of overwhelming evidence, sends a message which can only encourage more of the behaviour we witnessed this week.

Thankfully, Puisne Judge Richard Ground reversed Mrs. Mapp's decision and ordered that the offenders be convicted of common assault. But the damage had been done.

Gang-related violence, while relatively new to Bermuda and especially to Bermuda soccer, is nothing new elsewhere. In Europe and South America, it has been prevalent for years.

In Britain, Holland, Germany and Italy clashes between rival football supporters during the 1970s and 1980s resulted in hundreds of deaths and countless horrific injuries.

With the game in real danger of drowning under a tide of senseless slaughter, it took some harsh measures from Governments and soccer's governing bodies to stem the flow.

Soccer hooliganism hasn't been eliminated in those countries, but has noticeably been curbed. Repeat offenders, if not still serving time inside prison, have been banned "sine die'' from football stadiums throughout Europe.

A similar approach must be adopted here.

On an island as small as Bermuda, persistent troublemakers can be easily identified and weeded out. Unless we all work together to do that, then the minority will again succeed in denying the majority the pleasures of Bermuda's national sport.