The two-year deal for the Central Coast Mariners star has been shrouded in controversy after Millar, who has been persistently linked with other A-League clubs since signing for Central Coast at the beginning of this season, was reportedly ejected from Mariners' training yesterday.
 
Millar was sent home after the club apparently discovered he had no intention of signing a new contract and had come to an agreement with F3 derby rivals, Newcastle.
 
Former Mariners boss turned Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna today said yesterday's controversy had tainted relationships between the clubs and put an unnecessary cloud over the signing.
 
“Obviously we’re really excited to have signed Matt, he’s a fantastic young talent,” McKinna said.
 
“To be talking about it under these circumstances isn’t ideal, as we had intended to keep this quiet until the end of the season out of respect for Matt and the Mariners."
 
Central Coast were reportedly taken by surprise by Millar's departure, with the club planning to start new contract talks this week.
 
"I think it shows the dream is alive," Central Coast gaffer, Mike Mulvey said. "We made him into the player he is today.
 
"I think the boy really understands we wanted to keep him, we're thinking about next season, so Millar and his agent knew very well. We just didn't have the opportunity to table the offer before he ended up at Newcastle."
 
It's understood Professional Footballer's Australia is looking into the incident, with McKinna maintaining the club have done nothing wrong, having first contacted the Mariners on December 1 about the deal.
 
“Joel (Griffiths) was completely transparent with the Mariners about our intentions to negotiate and we were able to put together an attractive package for Matt to join us here in Newcastle," McKinna continued.
 
“We had extensive discussions with Matt and his management, and they liked what they saw both on and off the park here in Newcastle – we’re excited to have him at the Jets next season.
 
“Matt has handled himself exceptionally throughout this process, he’s an impressive young man and we wish him all the best for the remainder of the season.”