A spokesperson for Dundee United said, "Dundee United is astonished at this decision by a panel consisting mainly of ex footballers who have just taken away the right of one of their fellow professionals to work in this country. Basically they have deprived this player of his livelihood and Dundee United of an extremely valuable squad player.

We have been told that Jason was refused his work permit because he was not of the highest calibre and would not make a significant contribution to the Scottish game. However, they seemed to overlook that today's football is very much a squad game and Jason was a key element of our team - he had that superb ability to turn a match by using his undoubted exceptional skills. This is the same player who featured in the whole 90 minutes of the Scottish Cup Final. He is very much a fan's favourite and is one of the most entertaining players in Scottish football, having won several games for the club in the last two seasons when he played 60 games for United despite also being away on international duty. The Scottish Cup Semi-Final vs Hibernian was a typical example of this. He came on and scored the winner that took United into the Cup Final and into Europe. Does this sound like someone who is not making a significant contribution to the Scottish game?

A new two year contract was sitting on the table. Jason understandably, was also sought after by a number of other SPL clubs, which surely is significant. This panel of 5 ex players and the one SPL representative came to what we believe to be an incredible decision considering the player's record since he came to Scotland. We have now put the matter in the hands of our legal representatives as we intend to fight this injustice to an excellent and popular footballer. At a time when the First Minister is trying to encourage foreign workers to come and work and live in Scotland this decision appears to fly totally in the face of his campaign. Local politicians are already taking an interest in this disgraceful decision.

Jason is deeply upset by this panel slamming the door on him. He loved his life in Scotland and playing football in Scotland and they have taken that away from him.