Five British men have failed in their attempt to avoid extradition to Greece where they face charges of grievous bodily harm to professional footballer Rob Hughes.

Daniel Bell, 21, Sean Branton, 20 and Curtis Taylor, 20, from Horley, Surrey, with Benjamin Herdman, 20 and George Hollands, 22, of Worth, West Sussex and Reigate, Surrey respectively, are accused of attacking Mr Hughes outside a nightclub in Crete in June 2008.

While they deny the attack the men were given an invitation to return to Greece in June of last year. However the men refused and in December found themselves being detained under European arrest warrants.

The men took their case to the High Court, however the High Court has now ruled that they must now face extradition to a Greece, where they will likely face time in jail.

The victim Mr Hughes was left in a coma following the attack in which he was kicked, stamped on and struck with a bottle. He spent three months in hospital in Greece where he received operations on his brain.

He previously played for Oxford United but now plays for Welling.