Footballer Stan Collymore yesterday failed to convince the English courts that he should not be forced to pay £260,000 to Real Oviedo for a breach of contract.
Collymore, aged 35, who said this month that he was planning a Premiership comeback, has faced legal claims brought against him by his former club in Spain.
In June 2002 he was held liable, in the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Spain, for 300,000 euros in damages and, in October 2005, an order was made against him for the recovery of a further 90,000 euros in costs and interest.
Those judgments were subsequently ordered to be registered and enforced by the High Court in London.
Appealing against the decision, Collymore initially said the judgments should not be recognised because he did not have the opportunity to adequately contest the Spanish
proceedings. But Mr Justice Stanley Burnton said yesterday Collymore was represented before the Spanish court so it was impossible to say that he did not have an adequate opportunity. He said a later attempt to amend these "quite baseless" grounds was equally bad.
Collymore, whose solicitors withdrew from the case on Friday evening, did not attend court in London on Monday although the judge said he was aware of the hearing.
Dismissing the appeal as having no basis, the judge said it had been commenced "quite irresponsibly". "It has the marks of a pure delay tactic."
He ruled that a costs order relating to the appeal should be made against Collymore in favour of Real Oviedo, taxed at the highest "indemnity" level. A sum of £8,500 out of a total bill of more than £13,000 should be paid within 28 days.
