The fight will go on to clear my name - Grobbelaar

His reputation lies in tatters after a six-year battle to clear his name was destroyed by yesterday's Court of Appeal ruling.

But, vowing to take his case to the House of Lords, the 43-year-old Zimbawean said: "I have never tainted the game of football.

"It's very, very sad for the judicial service of Great Britain if that can happen. I am absolutely astounded and absolutely devastated at what's happened, and I feel very sorry for my family who have stuck by me through thick and thin."

Yesterday judges upheld a challenge by The Sun to a jury verdict that Grobbelaar had been libelled.

The newspaper had argued in the Court of Appeal, in December last year, that Grobbelaar accepted money for match fixing while playing for Southampton and Liverpool.

In a series of damming articles published in November 1994, The Sun claimed Grobbelaar had admitted helping fix matches.

The newspaper claimed Grobbelaar admitted helping to fix matches on a secret film shot in a Southampton hotel bedroom with the help of his former business partner Chris Vincent.

The Sun alleged Grobbelaar took £40,000 to make sure Liverpool lost 3-0 at Newcastle in November 1993.

It also said he had blown his chance of £125,000 more in a January 1994 game against Manchester United, which ended in a 3-3 draw, by accidentally making a sensational save in a match he was trying to lose.

Grobbelaar, who now lives with his wife and two young daughters at Tisman's Common, Rudgwick, West Sussex, lived in a luxury home in Lymington, when the allegations were first made. He has maintained his innocence throughout.

Lord Justice Simon Brown, giving his reserved judgement, 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."

"There are simply too many improbabilities piled one upon another inherent in Mr Grobbelaar's case for it to begin to be credible."

Now, the Zimbabwean stands to lose his £85,000 damages and faces having to pay the costs of the trial estimated at more than £1 million.

The civil action followed two trials at Winchester in 1997 - the first of which ended in deadlock - resulting in Grobbelaar being cleared of conspiracy, along with ex-Wimbledon stars John Fashanu and Hans Segers and businessman Richard Lim.

Last night Grobbelaar added: "Life is very devastating at times and how you get over those devastating times makes you a better person.

"These football allegations came from one man and then they put two and two together because I was having phone calls with John Fashanu and Richard Lim and those phone calls were trying to get a game of football for the national side of Gambia and to go to Malaysia to help underprivileged kids and street kids, and that's why they came to those conclusions.

"I have been through two criminal trials and one libel trial and most of the jurors were in my favour."

Today the newspaper at the centre of the Grobbelaar match-fixing case today heralded the Appeal Court's judgement a "stunning triumph".

David Yelland, editor of The Sun, said the result had been a "momentous vindication" and claimed the paper had saved English soccer.

He added: "It is a great day for the British press and for football."

A total of 11 pages were devoted to Grobbelaar's legal battle in today's Sun, which broke the story seven years ago after an extensive three-month investigation.

Grobbelaar had been awarded libel damages against the tabloid after being cleared at the end of two criminal trials.

But yesterday Lord Justice Jonathan Parker branded the libel jury's verdict of a "miscarriage of justice" which had to be corrected.

It was in 1994 that The Sun claimed how Grobbelaar pocketed bungs to throw matches for a Far East gambling syndicate.

The revelations followed a long-running undercover investigation in which the keeper was caught on camera boasting about his deals.

He was also filmed taking a £2,000 up-front payment.

Grobbelaar was finally confronted with evidence from the probe while he was at Gatwick Airport.

Today The Sun revealed how two of its reporters had followed the soccer star for three months before breaking the story in 1994.

During that time the pair kept close tabs on Grobbelaar's meetings.

The investigation began after the former Saints' star's embittered ex-business partner Chris Vincent decided to reveal all to the newspaper.

In August 1994, he rang The Sun's Manchester office and told staff about the bribery claims.

And with Vincent's help, two reporters formulated a plan to expose Grobbelaar.

It was agreed Vincent would tell his former friend about a fictitious gambling syndicate in the hope he would accept cash - and in return would tell how the real one operated.

A series of meetings followed and eventually Grobbelaar began talking about the alleged scam, on one occasion describing how he had "pushed the ball into the back of the net" during a game between Southampton and Coventry. Finally

The Sun rented a Southampton flat, where the keeper was seen on camera slipping a wallet of cash into his blazer pocket - and enough evidence was gathered to satisfy The Sun that their story stood up.

The Sun's story centered on five Premiership matches which will be forever tainted by doubt.

In each, the keeper was suspected of trying to influence the result of a Far Eastern betting syndicate.

Vincent said Grobbelaar picked up a £40,000 bung after Newcastle beat Liverpool 3-0 on Tyneside in November 1993.

The former friend also said the bent keeper stood to pocket £80,000 if Liverpool lost by a single goal at Norwich in February 1994.

In the event the matched finished 2-2, though Grobbelaar later told Vincent he had tried to let in a goal but the ball hit his foot.

Other dodgy matches that took place were between Liverpool and Manchester in January 1994, Saints and Coventry in September 1994 and Southampton and Manchester City in November 1994.