Grobbelaar friendship turned to hate

A former friend and business partner of the goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar admitted he wanted revenge on the footballer after a business deal turned sour, a court heard yesterday.

Chris Vincent agreed with Mr Grobbelaar's counsel, Mr Rodney Klevan QC, that he wanted to ensure the "downfall" of his one-time friend whom he felt had let him down over the collapse of his safari company Mondoro.

Mr Klevan asked: "In a flash your friendship turned to hatred?" Mr Vincent said: "Yes sir." The barrister continued: "It is woe betide anybody who crosses Chris Vincent - would that be a good epitaph for you?" "Reasonably," said Mr Vincent.

Mr Vincent was being cross-examined at the trial at Winchester Crown Court in which the former Liverpool player Mr Grobbelaar and two former professional footballers, John Fashanu and Hans Segers, are accused of a conspiracy to fix football matches.

He denied a suggestion he had twisted Grobbelaar's account of forecasting matches for a Far East syndicate to make it seem like match-fixing, and rejected claims he had lied in his "James Bond" description of the goalkeeper taking money in a toilet from a fourth defendant on the same charge, a Malaysian businessman, Heng Suan Lim. The trial continues.