Hue stands firm

Embattled Reggae Boyz midfielder Jermaine Hue is standing firm on his civil action suit against the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) and Dr Carlton Fraser, rejecting the body's demands of a withdrawal within 48 hours.

"The position is that the matter is before the courts and there will be no withdrawal, so the court action will definitely continue," advised the player's manager and uncle, Michael Hue.

The JFF on Wednesday demanded that Hue, who had written the local regulators earlier this year seeking compensation for loss of earnings following a failed drug test while representing the country in a World Cup qualifier in October last year, withdraw the lawsuit.

In a letter to the 36 year-old, the JFF affirmed that it was prohibited for the player to take the association to court, noting that the player had signed a clause which prevents such action.

In its letter the JFF pointed to "the provisions of the Jamaica Football Federation By Laws as well as the JFF Player Contract, (signed by Mr Hue) which "explicitly incorporates a protocol for the settlement of grievances and enshrines the procedure as set out in the FIFA statutes in which, as a general rule, recourse to ordinary courts of law is prohibited," read a JFF release earlier this week.

Disappointed

However, according to his manager, Hue is extremely disappointed with the JFF's position, but remains determined to seek redress.

"We will await the process and respond accordingly, but everyone who represent Jamaica should learn from this situation and look at how the JFF has handled the situation; it's messy, its very disappointing," said Michael Hue.

"This situation could have been avoided, it did not have to get to this stage. Jermaine and his representatives have tried unsuccessfully to have dialogue with the JFF and the whole matter could have been dealt with much better," he added before dismissing the JFF's point relating to the clause that the player signed prohibiting court action.

"No document that is signed in your country can supersede the constitution. The constitution provides redress for any employee or employer in the court of the land. Irrespective of what document is signed, the constitution is supreme and we should never lose sight of that," he said.

In court documents, Hue is arguing that his career has suffered because of his suspension, which came as a result of his testing positive for the banned substance Dexamethesone.

Hue noted that he was given an injection by Fraser, after complaining about fatigue, while on international duty. He contends that he was injected by the doctor with a substance that turned out to be on the World Anti Doping Agency's list of prohibited substances.