Grays Athletic ain't nuthin' da fuck wit!

[britneyspearsisgod]

Oh yeah, I speak ghetto

Club refuses to pay jailed player

A non-league club faces suspension by the Football Association from all competitions for refusing to pay an ex-player jailed on a robbery charge.

Grays Athletic FC terminated Ashley Sestanovich's contract before his conviction for conspiracy to rob.

Grays have been given 14 days by the FA to pay Sestanovich £14,000 for the five months up to his conviction.

He was jailed for eight years. Two other men were jailed for life for shooting a man dead during the raid.

An FA disciplinary hearing ordered Grays to pay Sestanovich five months' wages, in June, last year, after ruling they were in breach of FA regulations.

The club must also pay a £500 fine and the hearing's costs.

If they fail to do so, the south Essex club will be suspended from all football.

Grays have been involved in a counterclaim against Sestanovich who played one pre-season friendly for the club before his arrest.

The club claim that Sestanovich originally told them he was being held on remand for motoring offences, but once the nature of the charges became known they served him with 14 days' notice.

His conviction related to a robbery in Streatham, London, in 2005 in which Thomas Fahey was murdered.

Grays chairman Mike Woodward said: "I am bitterly disappointed in the FA's judgment, all they seem to want to do is take money from football clubs.

"We are being forced to pay approximately £14,000 to a player who only had three training sessions and 20 minutes in a pre-season friendly due to his involvement in a heinous crime which saw a young father shot in cold-blood.

"Unfortunately my principals will not allow me to pay this money from either my own pocket, or from the club's, and the directors are of the same opinion.

"I feel sorry for the supporters of this club but I hope that you will back me on this decision."

The FA said because Sestanovich was arrested after he signed for Grays, the club were obliged to honour his contract until he was actually convicted of an offence, under contract law.

Sestanovich also doubled for former Arsenal star Thierry Henry's TV advertisements for clothing company Nike.

[Gazz]

Though I don't particulary agree with it, they are kinda screwed by the law.

Also, in this country, we have the precedent of 'Innocent until proven guilty', so they don't really have a leg to stand on, legally, in contesting the decision.

[Hobo]

Though I don't particulary agree with it, they are kinda screwed by the law.

Also, in this country, we have the precedent of 'Innocent until proven guilty', so they don't really have a leg to stand on, legally, in contesting the decision.

But if he's been jailed for 8 years then surely Grays are in the right? Why should they have to pay him? They're a non-league club it's not like they can afford to pay someone just to sit in prison for X amount of years. The situation appears to have backed Grays into a corner.

[Gazz]

Though I don't particulary agree with it, they are kinda screwed by the law.

Also, in this country, we have the precedent of 'Innocent until proven guilty', so they don't really have a leg to stand on, legally, in contesting the decision.

But if he's been jailed for 8 years then surely Grays are in the right? Why should they have to pay him? They're a non-league club it's not like they can afford to pay someone just to sit in prison for X amount of years. The situation appears to have backed Grays into a corner.

They have to pay him wages from BEFORE he was convicted, obviously now he's in prison they don't as been convicted of an imprisonable offence invalidates his contract of employment.

Thinking about it, they could argue (assuming he was remanded in custody since the time of his arrest) that by not turning up for training and matches, he was in breach of his contract, therefore they had just cause to terminate.

[Twist]

He was turning up to training and matches when they terminated the contract though. When he signed for them Grays were aware he was awaiting criminal charges 'for motoring offences' when it came to light what the real charges were, they gave him his noticed. In that situation, because the guy lied to them I think they have a very solid leg to stand on and can contest this decision succesfully.

[brenchill]

I googled him and wikipedia came up with this interesting fact about him

Perhaps his most famous moment prior to the armed robbery charge came when he stood in for Thierry Henry during filming for a Nike advert in Rome. The boyhood Arsenal fan told the BBC at the time: "I met Thierry Henry when I was filming an advert for a Nike commercial in Rome and I played the part of his body double. I met all the players - the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Luis Enrique were all there. Sylvain Wiltord, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were there from Arsenal and it was great to see them face-to-face - but I would like to meet them on the pitch at some point."

Ashley Sestanovich also acted as Thierry Henry's body double for a series of TV adverts for Renault cars.

[Twist]

As his body double? I didn't realize you needed body doubles for walking scenes.

[Liam]

I googled him and wikipedia came up with this interesting fact about him

Perhaps his most famous moment prior to the armed robbery charge came when he stood in for Thierry Henry during filming for a Nike advert in Rome. The boyhood Arsenal fan told the BBC at the time: "I met Thierry Henry when I was filming an advert for a Nike commercial in Rome and I played the part of his body double. I met all the players - the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Luis Enrique were all there. Sylvain Wiltord, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were there from Arsenal and it was great to see them face-to-face - but I would like to meet them on the pitch at some point."

Ashley Sestanovich also acted as Thierry Henry's body double for a series of TV adverts for Renault cars.

I thought the name rang a bell. I'm sure I read the intereview.

[Hobo]

As his body double? I didn't realize you needed body doubles for walking scenes.

He was too busy trying to find out what the French for Va Va Voom was to do those scenes.