soccer squad are being planned for both Germany and England, technical director Clyde Best has revealed.

While everything hinges on Bermuda Football Association's ability to come up with the necessary funding for such globe-trotting exercises, Best insists the preparations will be essential if Bermuda are to gain any success during the World Cup preliminaries scheduled for next Spring.

Why Europe and England and not Central America or the Caribbean? Best had the answer.

"I'm looking in this direction because I know that we are going to get good competition and better than what we have been playing in the Caribbean and Central America, and I know that it's going to take us to the next level,'' he said.

"I firmly believe that's where we need to be. If I can get the boys to Europe training, playing, eating, sleeping and drinking football, let them see how the professionals do it, some of that might just rub off.'' While Bermuda haven't been exactly spectacular in matches they have played in the past year or so, Best feels that progress is being made -- albeit slowly.

But being Bermuda's most seasoned professional after having played at a high level in England, Europe and the United States, Best is uniquely qualified to gauge the team's level.

"We are not that far off, if we were to have proper preparations then we would surprise people because we are going to be a hard team to beat if we lift our standard of preparations going into a tournament,'' he said.

"If we can get a decent training and preparation programme going then I know that we will surprise a lot of countries in the CONCACAF region. That's something that we all must hope to aim for.'' Best is upset that Bermuda, a place recognised as a financial success by international standards, can allow a much poorer nation like Jamaica to lead the way among small islands by making the 1998 World Cup finals.

He recalled how Jamaica, despite their well documented financial woes, were able to pull it off because the community and the business sector rallied behind their needs for added cash for the necessary preparations, including training and playing serious matches overseas.

Euro tour tops Best agenda From Page 37 "We would like to do the same thing as Jamaica because we recognise that in order to play against these nations in competitions, we must play against them as much as possible.

"But the lack of funds for this purpose continues to haunt us along with other problems such as players having difficulty to get away from school and their jobs.'' Now Best's dreams of travelling east to Europe are in the hands of the BFA's finance committee who were this week scheduled to meet to discuss whether the trip will be feasible at a time when the Olympic qualifying rounds are also taking place.

Best hasn't finalised anything with German or English clubs, but he has made some initial contact and various wheels are well in motion.

In Germany he has his sights on training and playing matches at Bayern Munich, while in England he hopes to base the Bermuda squad in the Manchester area, playing there and perhaps in London.

"I would like to have four games in Germany and England combined with a lot of first-class training in both countries. I have very good contacts at Munich, hopefully we can get something firmed up there if all goes well,'' he said.

"I also have somebody in Manchester who is working and making the necessary contacts. Also, it's a lot cheaper up north than it is in London and if we have to go to London to play a game then we will take the coach down and return.'' It's a plan that Best feels Bermuda's senior squad desperately need to pull off, but it all could be wiped out if it proves to be too much of a financial burden.