Grobbelaar 'will fight on to clear name'

Bruce Grobbelaar's solicitor insists the former footballer will fight on to clear his name after his libel defeat.

Grobbelaar is facing a £1m-plus legal bill after the humiliating Court of Appeal defeat.

Three appeal judges upheld a challenge by The Sun to a jury verdict that Grobbelaar had been libelled by allegations of match fixing.

They threw out his £85,000 damages award.

Solicitor David Hewit said: "In our view, it is quite wrong for the Court of Appeal to substitute its findings for those of jurors who had the opportunity of hearing the evidence and evaluating the witnesses.

"This is not an end to the matter. We will be petitioning the House of Lords for leave to appeal."

One of the judges, Lord Justice Simon Brown, said the libel trial jury's unanimous verdict at a High Court hearing in August 1999 "represents a miscarriage of justice which this court can and must correct".

He described as "quite simply incredible" Grobbelaar's explanation of how he came to be embroiled in the allegations. The footballer was filmed apparently accepting money to throw football games on behalf of a far-eastern betting syndicate.

Not only will the player lose his damages award, he now faces having to pay the costs of the trial - estimated at more than £1m.