Yesterday's horrific violence at the Friendship Trophy Final has sent a wave of despair through the community.

Bermuda Football Association president Larry Mussenden was probably right to say yesterday that the young men who battled on the field armed with machetes, samurai swords, knives, sticks and pieces of concrete block were not soccer fans.

Soccer fans go to soccer matches to watch "the beautiful game" and to enjoy the fellowship of being around fellow fans, not to fight and maim one another.

And it is hard not to contrast yesterday's scenes with those at the National Sports Centre earlier in the week when the Island's fans came out in force to support Bermuda against Nicaragua.

Nonetheless, the links between soccer and violence in Bermuda do exist and it is up to the BFA to ensure that games are properly policed to so that the real fans are not subjected to the terrifying scenes that took place yesterday.

Premier Alex Scott may be right as well in saying that violence at soccer games has decreased this year. But it only takes one incident to shatter weeks of peace and that is what happened yesterday.

The only positive thing that can be taken from the attacks is that no one died, as feared earlier yesterday. But with dangerous weapons out in force ? as photographs show ? that may only be a matter of time.

The more profound question that has not been answered is what drives young Bermudians to this kind of violence and to show such blatant disregard for life and limb, including their own.

The condemnation that followed the attacks yesterday was justified, but we have all heard it before.

By all accounts, this was the latest round of gang violence between different groups of youths and it remains something of a mystery that these kinds of rivalries should exist and should be taken to such extremes.

It is fair to assume that they are driven by drugs to some extent, but that cannot be the whole answer.

Of course, deaths have occurred as a result of these rivalries, as the families of Tekle Mallory, Shaundae Jones and Jermaine (Red) Pitcher can attest.

By most standards, Bermuda's youth are among the most privileged in the world. They want for little and have been given all of the opportunities that modern society can provide.

And yet, there is clearly a nihilistic attitude towards life and death that bodes ill for the future.

To be sure, the vast majority of Bermuda's young people do not fall into this category. Most young people are hard at work or their studies and will go on to lead worthwhile and fulfilling lives.

But this small minority has the ability and the will to wreak havoc and cause damage not only to themselves but to innocent bystanders.

It is time that Bermuda acknowledged the problem and did something about it.