August 28 – Manchester United captain Harry Maguire says he feared for his life and thought he might never play again after being arrested by plain clothes police officers following a much-publicised fracas on the Greek island of Mykonos.
The England defender was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insulting behaviour in a brawl during which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, the most expensive defender in world football at £80 million, received a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was subsequently granted a full retrial after appealing against the verdict.
On Tuesday, Maguire was withdrawn from the England squad for September’s Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.
Commenting for the first time on a case that made worldwide sports headlines, Maguire said he had nothing to apologise for and that he thought he was the victim of a kidnapping.
He said his younger sister Daisy had been attacked in a bar on the island by two men who drugged her, adding that when he tried to take her to hospital he was arrested.
“It was horrible. It’s not something I ever want to do again. I don’t wish it on anybody. It’s the first time I’d ever been inside a prison,” Maguire told the BBC of his two nights in custody.
An emotional Maguire, who broke down during the interview, said he “couldn’t quite believe” the guilty verdict and denied trying to bribe the police involved in the incident.
“I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you have done something wrong,” he said
“They just started hitting us. He was hitting my legs and saying my career is over, no more football, you won’t play again,” said Maguire.
“And at this point, I thought there’s no chance that these are police, I don’t know who they are, I tried to run away. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life.”
“I regret being in the situation, obviously the situation has made it difficult. I play for one of the biggest clubs in the world so I regret putting the fans and the club through this.”
“A retrial will give us more time to prepare, gather the evidence, allow witnesses into the court. I’m really confident that the truth will be told and come out.”
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