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LONDON -- The English soccer scandal involving Bruce Grobbelaar widened with fresh reports of attempted bribery and millions of television viewers seeing footage of the former Liverpool goalkeeper allegedly receiving payment for his part in a match-fixing scandal.
The Sun newspaper Wednesday accused Grobbelaar of accepting ?40,000 ($64,150) to throw Liverpool's match against Newcastle last season. Newcastle won the match 3-0. Grobbelaar denied the allegations.
The Sun followed up its story Thursday with a report that Grobbelaar blew his chance of a ?125,000 bribe in a match between Liverpool and Manchester United on Jan. 4 when he accidentally made a sensational save.
The Sun alleged that Grobbelaar, as the Liverpool goalie, had been trying to ensure that Liverpool lost against Manchester United but that he told a friend, Chris Vincent, after the match: "I dived the wrong way but (the ball) hit my hand."
Manchester United scored three goals in 24 minutes of the game. But Liverpool fought back to a 3-3 draw. Grobbelaar now plays for Southampton.
The Sun supplied a video for news bulletins that were seen across Europe on satellite television. The footage showed Grobbelaar taking a package which was alleged to contain ?2,000 from former partner Chris Vincent.
The video also showed the goalkeeper talking about how he had been told: "that I am going to lose a game."
Grobbelaar was also shown, apparently in a hotel room, talking to Vincent.
"He is telling me that I am going to lose a game," Grobbelaar tells Vincent. "So two minutes into the game I pushed the ball into the back of the net. That was the Coventry game."
A portion of the video made of the confrontation between Grobbelaar and Sun reporters at Gatwick Airport on Tuesday night picks up on one reporter saying: "he came to you with another ruse to throw a match this season.
"You picked one. You agreed to receive fortnightly payments of ?2,000 pounds, forfeiting one match in the season for ?100,000 pounds."
Grobbelaar was quoted in subtitles as replying: "I said to him that would never be done. Because if I ever got caught I am in big trouble."
In Liverpool on Wednesday night, two goals in two minutes from Robbie Fowler and another from Neil Ruddock took Liverpool past Chelsea, 3-1, moving it to within four points of leaders Newcastle and into its highest league position for 15 months.
Fresh Claims as TV Shows 'Bribe' Video
11 November 1994
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