Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar suffered a
devastating blow today when his five-year battle to clear his name of match-fixing allegations was destroyed by a Court of Appeal ruling.
The appeal judges upheld a challenge by The Sunto a jury verdict that Grobbelaar had been libelled and awarded him stg£85,000 damages.
Lord Justice Simon Brown, giving his reserved judgment today, said the jury's unanimous verdict at a High Court hearing in August 1999 "represents a miscarriage of justice which this court can and must correct".
Not only will the player lose his damages award, he now faces having to pay the costs of the trial - estimated at more than stg£1million.
PA
