With the new season just around the corner a refereeing crisis is unfolding in Bermuda football that could leave many games without a single qualified official to take charge.

A shortage of referees in Bermuda football is nothing new, but this year there are just 19 active officials to serve as referees and assistant referees covering up to 20 games a weekend. And that doesn't take into account injuries, holidays, or work and family commitments.

And it could get a lot worse for Bermuda Football Association, who are locked in a tug-of-war with the newly-created Corona League just to keep the referees they already have.

When the Corona League was first launched, after the break-up of the Commerical League, officials approached Bermuda Referees Association, and the BFA, about their members taking charge of the games to be played at BAA Field on Fridays and Saturdays. Initially willing to talk about the possibility, the lack of available referees has forced the BFA to change their mind, and the association are now threatening to impose sanctions on any referee who officiates in a Corona League game.

The problem for the BFA, and BRA president Anthony Francis, who has backed the governing body's stance, is that individual referees are being tempted by the Corona League's offer which includes a higher match fee than the BFA currently pay, the promise of better security, and a code of conduct, which all clubs and players must sign, that helps protect the referee.

"The position from the BFA, and it is one that as the president of the BRA I fully support, is that if some referees choose to officiate in the Corona League, they will not be appointed to BFA games," said Francis.

"It is an understandable position given that part of the reason for the restructuring of the leagues was to decrease the wear and tear on the referees.

"However, I completely understand the position of individual members who might feel that they get a better deal with the Corona League. But as president of the BRA, and as an executive who signed off on the association's position regarding referees, I fully support their (the BFA's) stance."

The problem for the BFA is a simple one, they don't have enough officials to go around. On the basis that the Premier Division is the most important of all the leagues, 15 referees will be needed for the five games played in that league on any given weekend.

That would leave just four to cover the First Division, the PDL, women's football, the Masters League, and that's if all 19 officials are fit and available.

"There will not be enough referees this season, even if the Corona League wasn't around, there are not enough referees at all, and you can read into that what it implies," said Francis.

"This season is promising to be a very interesting one, it will be highly competitive, and given recent events, could be highly contentious, but the BFA and BRA are committed to ensuring that the quality of football in Bermuda continues to go up."

Such is the dearth of qualified officials that the BFA have put an emergency plan together to recruit club assistant referees, the idea being that club members who are willing would help out qualified officials during a game. The only problem with that idea, however, is that it has been tried in the past, and referees have invariably ended up ignoring those volunteers because they were unable to do the job objectively.