Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Jamaica's Jermaine Hue (right) celebrates his goal with teammate, Robert Scarlett, during the first half of their Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup match against South Africa in Los Angeles last month. The game ended in a 3-3 draw. - FILE
TOP PREMIER league club, Harbour View FC will earn absolutely nothing from the transfer of two of their top players - Jermaine Hue and Robert Scarlett - to two United States Major League Soccer clubs, said Vin Blaine, manager of the club.
"They went off as free agents, they never signed back with us. It shouldn't happen, but it happened," Blaine told The Gleaner moments after his team left for the USA on a pre-season tour.
"You can't hold a player to sign. Maybe he had reasons why. It happens and it is sad because we had him (Scarlett) from he was 12 years old. There is nothing illegal about the thing."
MISTAKES
However, Blaine, also coach of Harbour View's female team, said the club learnt from the mistakes.
"That's where we falter and we learn by our mistakes. We always believed that the players are loyal. It won't happen to us again."
Scarlett, 26, signed with Real Salt Lake (RSL), which has another Jamaican, Andy Williams, on its roster, while Hue, 27, joined fellow countrymen Khari Stephenson and Shavar Thomas at Kansas City Wizards.
Steve Pastorino, the RSL General Manager, was quoted on the MSL website saying: "We learned prior to the Gold Cup that Robert Scarlett would be available on a free transfer and jumped at the opportunity to bring him in."
Blaine noted that the only way premier league clubs can survive is by unearthing talent and selling them overseas as they did with Ricardo Gardner, Damani Ralph, Damion Stewart and Luton Shelton.
"We want the players exposed so it doesn't make sense we hold out. Right now if Gardner is sold to another club we still would get a five per cent from the sale. This is the only way the clubs can survive."
SALARIES
According to Blaine, Harbour View spends approximately $800,000 on salaries a month and it's a tall order to make ends meet.
Scarlett, a left-footed defender, began his career with Harbour View FC when he was 12 years old, notching 21 goals and 53 assists in nine seasons. He spent a brief three-month stint during the 2003 season with Russian giant Spartak Moscow and was part of that team's UEFA Champions League roster during that season.
The 27-year-old Hue enjoyed some recent successes in the CONCACAF Gold Cup as he scored two goals for Jamaica in the tournament - one against Guatemala and another against South Africa - as the Reggae Boyz reached the quarter-finals where they lost to the USA.
At 5'8" and weighing 153 pounds, Hue's main attributes lie in his vision and passing ability and a knack of scoring important goals.
