Grobbelaar admits to being naive

Bruce Grobbelaar last night insisted that he and fellow goalkeeper Hans Segers had not been "let off" by a English Football Association disciplinary committee which gave them suspended bans and fines for breaking rules on betting.

The two players, cleared of match-fixing charges earlier this year, received thousands of pounds for helping a Far East betting syndicate to predict the outcome of matches in which they were not involved.

But the FA said their punishment of a six-month ban and a £10,000 fine would be suspended for two years, given the "severe financial hardship and three-year blight on their careers" they had already suffered.

Both players admitted breaching FA rules on the involvement of players in betting, but claimed they had not fully appreciated the regulations at the time.

Grobbelaar hit back at suggestions that he had been treated leniently, saying: "I've not been effectively let off - it's a serious matter.

"Had I known the penalties before, I would never have entered into the agreement with certain people. As it happened, I was naive."

The goalkeeper, who is currently out of contract, said: "I'm happy to resume my career. Whether that is in this country or not, I do not know.

"I shall wait for offers. I am not as fit as I should be but it will not take me long to get there."

Segers did not attend the FA's headquarters at Lancaster Gate in London to hear his fate, which the three-man commission had considered overnight following yesterday's five-hour hearing at a hotel near Heathrow Airport.

But his solicitor Mel Goldberg said: "He accepts the decision. The most important thing as far as Hans is concerned is that any penalties which have been imposed have been suspended.