Bermuda Football Association (BFA) president Larry Mussenden broke his silence yesterday over his recent decision to strip Mark Trott of the chairmanship of the association's technical committee.

In a written press statement, Mussenden, who will now assume chairmanship of the technical committee on a temporary basis, wrote: "The media have today (yesterday) disclosed that Mark Trott has been relieved from his duties as Chairman of the BFA's Technical Committee and/or from the BFA Executive.

"In order to clarify a few issues, Mark was elected by the Congress (of Clubs) to serve on the BFA Executive Council. Mark is still on the Executive and that is entirely a matter for the Congress at elections or for Mark as to his continued service.

"In relation to the chairs of BFA Committees, the BFA Statutes gives the President the authority to appoint such chairs. The making of appointments to committees is a normal practice and appointments are usually made after an AGM."

Mussenden said there are times when the president, for varying reasons, may wish to shuffle his cabinet "in the best interest of football".

"This change in appointment is one of those occasions," he said.

Mussenden will now personally take charge of the association's technical committee until such time when a suitable successor to Trott can be found.

He said: "In relation to the chair of the technical committee, I have given consideration to the leadership and direction of the technical committee. Therefore, I concluded that I wanted fresh leadership and direction and as a result I relieved Mark of that responsibility.

"For the time being, I will assume the responsibilities of the technical committee and I will be meeting with the technical committee as well as the national team coaches to determine the best way forward."

He added: "Mark remains a member of the Executive Committee and has a contribution to make to football.

"In fact, he has been appointed the joint Head of Delegation (along with another Executive Member) for the Dallas Cup Tournament where three youth national football teams will compete in Dallas next month.

"Going forward, I am confident and hopeful that Mark will be able to commit his vast energies to another BFA committee or programme. There will be no further comments on this matter."

When contacted, Trott declined to comment.