The buck won't stop with Bermuda Football Association's (BFA) Appeals Committee if they uphold Devonshire Cougars' expulsion from the FA Cup.

Emerging from a second afternoon of deliberations with the committee, secretary of Devonshire Recreation Club Elsworth Christopher said yesterday his club were prepared to go further in a bid to have a decision overturned on whether they fielded an ineligible player - Kori Goddard - in their 5-2 FA Cup semi-final victory over Prospect on March 9.

Devonshire Rec. and Cougars are ready to argue their case before Sports Minister Randy Horton if necessary.

"If we don't get satisfaction here (from the committee) we will probably take it to another level.

"There is a tribunal he (the Sports Minister) can convene to hear our side. We definitely feel we did not field an ineligible player. Our contention is that a player becomes ineligible when they properly inform the club. Until you do that we are in no position to know whether someone is ineligible or not," reasoned Christopher outside the BFA's Cedar Avenue headquarters last night.

However, he and the entire Cougars fraternit

y are hoping the matter does not have to go that far.

"I would hope the club is successful in our appeal. The committee is deliberating right now and hopefully they will make a ruling in our favour."

Christopher said no indication was given about when the outcome of the appeal would be known.

Terming the circumstances via which midfielder Goddard's ineligibility was conveyed to the club as "strange", the secretary outlined Cougars' defence.

He revealed that the BFA had contacted him twice on other matters earlier in the day (March 4) on which they apparently sent a fax to a female club official regarding Goddard's status.

"First I got a call at 10 a.m. to ask whether our field would be available for an FA (Cup) semi-final match. That's the match that was played last Thursday. I gave them the okay.

"At 12.52 p.m. they faxed the club and the young lady in question to indicate what the new schedule would be. At 1.51 p.m. they sent information to one person (the young lady). They did not send it to the club. They did not send it to me - and that was strange. They said they were anxious that we got the information but if that was so they certainly went about it the wrong way."

It was that fax at 1.51 p.m. which contained the BFA sanction against Goddard and, according to Christopher, there was an accompanying note saying "would you please inform your coach".

That he charged was incorrect procedure as such information is usually sent to the secretary who then disseminates it to the relevant parties.

"A coach is employed by the club. The BFA should not be directly contacting a coach. If for some reason a coach is suspended, who would they call? Our club doesn't run that way."

Christopher said the subsequent charges against Cougars and last week's BFA ruling that the team forfeit the match had soured relations between Devonshire Rec. and the BFA and had also undermined his position as secretary because the team trusted him to keep them properly informed. It was he who gave the go-ahead for Goddard to play.

"They look upon me as the person who conveys information to the team pertinent to football. I have been representing the club for the last 35 years and when there is any football issue that concerns Devonshire Recreation Club, the BFA calls me.

"They (Cougars players) felt a little aggrieved (when the Goddard situation first arose) but since then they have realised that I was speaking to them from the knowledge I had . . . I told them I had not received anything from the BFA."

Devonshire Rec., he vowed, would be very careful in future dealings with the BFA.

"Regardless of the outcome of this, it has has soured relations with this club and the association. We are not comfortable as to where we stand."

Regarding a rumour that some Cougars players intend to boycott tonight's Friendship Trophy semi-final against Dandy Town if the appeal goes against them, Christopher said the club would not condone such a move though he could understand how the players felt.