Players on Bermuda's World Cup team two years ago were tested at least once for drugs and were strongly cautioned against smoking marijuana, according to team representatives.

And at least one Bermuda Football Association (BFA) official said he learned that some of the players had tested positive for marijuana, but were convinced to stop using the drug by team physiotherapist Kevin Anderson.

"Once the results came out, all those where the result was positive stopped (taking drugs),'' said Burkhard Ziese in a telephone call from Germany, where he is spending his Christmas vacation.

Ziese -- who was never involved with the World Cup squad -- said the topic of drug testing for World Cup players was discussed by Under-23 players during a meeting on November 30 when three players "confessed that they had a drug problem.'' The embattled Technical Director was attempting to show the players that other Bermuda footballers were capable of breaking free from drug use.

But his statement has added only fuel to the soccer crisis -- entering its third week today -- by suggesting that there was a drug problem in Bermuda soccer as far back as 1992.

In a press conference at PLP headquarters yesterday Shadow Minister of Youth, Sport and Recreation Dr. Ewart Brown said that former BFA president Charlie Marshall should have called for a Board of Inquiry "when a number of World Cup players tested positive for drugs and were still allowed to play in the World Cup competition.'' Marshall, however, said that if players tested positive he was not aware of it.

"To the best of my knowledge nobody tested positive during the World Cup,'' said Marshall. "There would be only one person that would know that and that's Mr. Anderson.'' Anderson, who was the team's physiotherapist and conducted the drug tests, refused to discuss the matter. "I'm not speaking to anybody other than the inquiry,'' he said. "I'll have my say at that time.'' Marshall added: "Let's put it this way, he took the responsibility and if he had any doubts it was his credibility that was on the line here. If he worked out a scheme with individuals then that was left up to his professionalism and competence.'' "You're telling me something that I was unaware of,'' continued Marshall.

"The report we got from Mr. Anderson at the time was that no player tested positive.

"I made specific instructions at the time that everything that was done was supposed to be totally confidential. It was not to be even put into the files of the BFA. It was to be in his personal files.'' Nick Jones, trainer for the squad, said that "there was some skirmishing about the fact that (testing) hadn't been done by a proper doctor.'' He said BFA officials tried to keep the tests "under cover because when we went to Haiti or wherever, if (players) did do a drug test they might get caught. They were worried that somebody on the squad might be smoking weed.'' Head coach at the time Gary Darrell, contacted last night, said he was not prepared to discuss the matter.

Kyle Lightbourne, who was part of the World Cup team and now a member of English Third Division club Walsall, said as far as he was concerned no player ever tested positive. "No one left the team so I just thought everyone was fine.'' Marshall admitted that team officials were always concerned about any player involved with marijuana.

Marshall said testing was conducted because "we were always concerned during the World Cup. Obviously, all nations were informed of drug testing and a set of guidelines was given and, as you are aware, I've always been very concerned with drugs in sports.'' Most of all, however, Marshall wanted to avoid a similar embarrassment that befell the Under-23 squad when seven players were arrested at Miami International Airport on December 9.

"It was vital that we did not have this happen during the World Cup and hurt our chances, marijuana or anything. The chances of it happening in the World Cup were far greater as we advanced more and more and if you think of the sponsorship and the country...the whole thing would have been a disaster.'' Bermuda's successful World Cup qualifying run two years ago captivated the Island when the squad made it to round robin play by defeating Haiti and Antigua. The team eventually finished fourth in the round robin behind El Salvador, Jamaica and Canada.

Marshall said some type of drug testing should have been conducted on Under-23 squad members. He said that Mark Trott, the team's coach, made a request for testing to the BFA in early November but it was ignored.

"But that's a question you would have to ask them,'' said Marshall. "I do know that the majority of those people who are presently on the executive were there during the World Cup and have been there for a very long time.

"But one of my biggest stumbling blocks was my own executive on this drug testing.'' Marshall stepped down earlier this year, bitter over hitting roadblocks when dealing with a host of problems including drugs.

"Members of the (BFA) executive were unable to come to grips with (drugs),'' he said. "Many of them felt it was a social problem within the community, which it is, and it had nothing to do with football.

"But it was definitely affecting our players' ability to produce and certainly affected the gate receipts of our clubs. We tried to do something about it but we just didn't get the support. That's when I made my decision (to quit). I said if I don't have the support for these things maybe somebody else will.'' He added: "We all know we had a problem. Let's blame ourselves, and I share just as much responsibility for it. Maybe if I stuck in and kept fighting this might not have happened. We all are part of the problem.'' Marshall said the BFA were making a mistake by not going public with their side of the story.

"I think it goes back to the depth of administration in sport as you may or may not know,'' he said. "Until we have competent people at the top the bottom is going to reflect them.'' "I think it is crazy to hide things,'' he continued. "Because things will get printed in the public that are not true or misrepresented and I believe that once the seeds are planted, come hell or high water, it's pretty difficult to tell people otherwise. You've just got to tell the truth.

"You're not telling anything that people don't know. Privately we Bermudians have been lying to ourselves for a very long time. We've got to stop lying and start facing the true facts of life. And if we don't, God help us for the future.'' MARK TROTT -- request to drug test Under-23 players was allegedly ignored.