Harry Maguire, a defender for Manchester United, received a 15-month suspended sentence from Greece’s Supreme Court on Wednesday due to an altercation with police in a Mykonos nightclub in August 2020, according to court officials.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers have urged both Maguire’s club and the English FA to impose sanctions on the player.
According to the Press Association, Maguire plans to appeal the sentence.
– Man United’s Fletcher apologizes for anti-gay slur
If he appeals to a higher court, this ruling will be effectively nullified, similar to when Maguire appealed the initial sentence in 2020.
Initially, he was sentenced to 21 months in suspension shortly after the incident, but he contested this, leading to a retrial at a court on Syros Island, the administrative capital of the region.
The appeal process has faced several delays, including one instance related to a strike by lawyers.
Maguire, who will turn 33 on Thursday, was convicted of causing minor bodily harm, insulting law enforcement, attempted bribery, and using unlawful violence against police officers.
The current sentence is suspended for three years.
According to PA, Maguire and his legal team have declined multiple opportunities for an out-of-court settlement, including an offer made during a break in Wednesday’s hearing, as he is determined to prove his innocence.
Although Maguire did not attend the hearing in Greece, he was included in the starting lineup for Manchester United’s Premier League match against Newcastle on Wednesday evening.
PA reported that there are currently no travel restrictions placed on Maguire, meaning he remains eligible for England’s World Cup squad this summer.
The central defender, who was absent from the trial on Wednesday, has maintained that he did not commit any wrongdoing, stating in 2020 that he, along with his family and friends, were victims in the incident.
Conversely, a lawyer representing the involved police officers accused Maguire of showing arrogance and a lack of remorse.
“He has never apologized — not even once. Not a single apology,” attorney Ioannis Paradissis told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “As of today, he has a criminal record.”
Paradissis expressed hope that both Maguire’s club and the Football Association of England take action against him, questioning how someone with a criminal record for violence against police officers could continue representing national and Premier League teams.
He also issued a statement on behalf of the police officers, emphasizing their expectation for an apology as a basic gesture of respect.
“It is incompatible with the values of sport and the role model status expected of elite athletes for someone with a criminal record for violence to still be active as a Premier League player and a public figure admired by young fans worldwide,” the statement asserted.
Maguire has not yet commented on the sentencing, but in a BBC interview in August 2020, he described feeling “scared for his life,” worrying that he and his family might be kidnapped.
“We got down on our knees, we put our hands in the air, they just started hitting us,” he recounted. “They were hitting my leg saying my career’s over: ‘No more football. You won’t play again.’
“At that point, I thought there’s no chance these are police; I didn’t know who they were, so I tried to escape. I was in such a state of panic and fear for my life throughout the ordeal.”
PA and The Associated Press contributed to this report.