A Greek court sentences the Manchester United captain to 21 months in prison ... The sentence is suspended for three years
The criminal court on the Greek island of Syros has sentenced the captain of Manchester United's football team, Harry Maguire, for a period of 21 months and 10 days, with a suspended sentence for assault, and for a period of three years, which means that he will continue his conviction. The English international was arrested last Thursday with his brother and a friend, while they were on vacation on the Greek island of Mykonos, due to a quarrel with tourists in a nightclub, followed by an altercation with policemen in civilian clothes. Maguire was found guilty of all the charges against him: "assault on representatives of the state", "bodily harm", "verbal insults" and "attempted bribery".
Shortly after the verdict, the Football Association announced that Maguire would be excluded from the squad chosen by Gareth Southgate earlier on Tuesday. "In light of this evening's developments, I can confirm that I withdrew Harry Maguire from the England squad for the two matches against Iceland and Denmark," Southgate told the Al Ittihad website. And Southgate had chosen Maguire in the beginning of the matter in his squad of 24 players to face Iceland and Denmark in the period from the fifth and eighth of next September in the European Nations League competition.
"It is clear that the decision is not simple," he said at a press conference, adding, "I spoke with Harry. I have a vision of the story that is very different from what is being published. You can make decisions about the facts that you are aware of." He continued, "If the facts or information change, I will have to review this decision, but I have a wonderful relationship with him. He has a wonderful personality for us, and he enjoys my support at this time." Maguire, who was absent from the court session after leaving Greek territory, issued a statement confirming that he would appeal the verdict. "I remain strong and confident of our innocence in this case - I, my family and my friends, we are the victims in this case," he said in his statement.
For his part, Manchester United supported his captain in a statement, and confirmed that "Harry Maguire has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him, and he continues to firmly assert his innocence." "It should be noted that the prosecution confirmed the charges and presented its evidence late on the day before the trial, unless the defense team was given sufficient time to study them and prepare."
United had signed Maguire from Leicester last summer for 87 million euros, becoming the most expensive defender in the history of the game.
The court rejected the request to postpone the session by the lawyers appointed to defend the English international defender, who touched during the session some procedural issues.
"On this basis, and together with a large body of evidence disproving the charges, Harry Maguire's legal team will appeal the ruling, to allow a full and fair hearing at a later time," the club said.
According to Greek media reports, the fighting in the nightclub began after someone hurt the sister of the former Leicester City player, who moved to Manchester United for about 87 million euros last summer. It has become difficult to know whether Maguire will be able to return to the stadiums quickly, especially since the current pressures will make him in a state of mind unable to focus on what is going on on the field of football.