Grays told to pay convicted footballer Sestanovich or be banned (From Thurrock Gazette)

Grays told to pay convicted footballer Sestanovich or be banned

12:57pm Wednesday 5th March 2008

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GRAYS Athletic football club are counting the cost of a failed appeal against being ordered to pay jailed former player Ashley Sestanovich £14,000.

The football club were incensed when they were ordered to pay five months' wages to Sestanovich even though he was in jail awaiting trial for his involvement in a wages snatch and the death of Thomas Fahey in the summer of 2006.

Sestanovich was eventually found guilty of conspiracy to rob and sentenced to eight years in prison.

However, he called on the FA to back his case for payment and they ruled Grays should give him his wages up until the point at which he was convicted.

Today Grays' appeal against the FA decision was heard but they were given 14 days to pay plus a further £500 fine and told to bear the costs of the hearing.

If they don't pay up by march 19 they will be suspended from all football.

Club spokesman Kevin Lamb said: "Grays Athletic have strongly contested the payments to Mr Sestanovich. We have been involved in a counter claim against Mr Sestanovich and were instructed that this would be successful.

"The FA have not been sympathetic to the case even though the Football Conference were fully behind Grays Athletics' decision to terminate Mr Sestanovich's contract with the club once the gravity of the offence was known to them."

The decision that Grays owed the wages was made last November.

Sestanovich made just one appearance for Grays - in a friendly - and chairman Mike Woodward claims he lied to the club about the nature of his forthcoming court appearance when he signed for them.

Sestanovich was sentenced to eight years in prison in April for conspiring to rob in a bungled raid which led to two other men being convicted of murder.

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