is marring the Island's top sport.

At a meeting with Bermuda Football Association on Wednesday night, believed to be the first of many planned by the governing body to get the sport back on track, officials stressed that both referees and linesmen were increasingly becoming the targets of violence.

"Violence in soccer has simply got to be stamped out and there has to be a clear message sent that it will no longer be tolerated,'' said Gregory Grimes, president of the Bermuda Football Referees Association at the end of the meeting.

"We had an open and frank discussion, and most agreed that we need to take this openness and frankness and go out and put it into proper places where it counts most. It's not a matter of the BFA or BFRA doing it, we as individuals have to do it, the clubs have to do it.'' Some 22 referees turned out to discuss various matters with a BFA delegation of secretary general David Sabir and Delroy O'Brien, chairman of the Referees Committee.

Sabir said the meeting had been "very productive'' and had provided those present with the opportunity to put forward various recommendations which the BFA could now consider.

"One of their main concerns was the protection of referees,'' said Sabir.

"With our society at large becoming more violent, some of those things are coming up in the face of the referees and they are concerned.

"We all have to come to the consensus that if we don't do something now, not just from the standpoint of referees but certainly in the way they are handled or respected in the community, we will have what might be a sad day in football.'' Other concerns aired by the officials included the promotion and assessment of referees, which Sabir assured would be forwarded to the executive committee for discussion.

Grimes recalled an occurrence in Cyprus recently when referees withdrew their services after an official was attacked and injured.

"It has got to the point that some of our members are saying that it's just a matter of time before something serious (like that) happens here,'' said Grimes. "Naturally none of us want to see anybody injured.'' Sabir insisted the meeting wasn't arranged as a result of the Sharpe report into drugs but was simply considered another step by the BFA to improve the overall standard of soccer on the Island.

"It is an internal reaction the BFA has to taking care of our own situation.

The Sharpe report basically tells what football needs to do to sustain itself, but in terms of what we are doing for the referees it is certainly to improve our position so that when we come out into the public the credibility that we require is something that is earned,'' added Sabir.

"The report, though, highlighted the fact that the referees should get themselves involved in staging lectures with the clubs and players, that they should be involved in club activity in regards to the laws of the game.

"This meeting basically showed that there is a genuine concern that the referees do want to progress, but progress knowing that they earned the position that they are currently in.'' Sabir said the recommendations that came out of the meeting are points that the BFA can strive to implement.

"But it will require a total commitment and total effort from all of the agencies involved in the area of officiating in domestic soccer.''