Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire admitted “he was scared for his life” during his arrest in Greece.
A warm holiday quickly turned into a nightmare when the 27-year-old got arrested for aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and repeated attempts of bribery at a misdemeanours court in Syros on Tuesday.
Maguire has denied all charges against him and is due to be presented in senior court. He has been handed out a suspended prison sentence but the England international will be appealing the punishment.
In an interview with BBC News, Maguire said, “My initial thought was I thought we were getting kidnapped. We got down on our knees, we put our hands in the air. They just started hitting us, they were hitting our legs, saying, ‘My career’s over. No more football. You won’t play again’.
“At this point I thought there was no chance these were police. I don’t know who they are, so I tried to run away. I was in that much of a panic, fear, scared for my life – all the way through it.”
The lawyer who assisted the prosecution in the case, Yoannis Paradissis maintained that Maguire was handed within the bounds of Greek law. He told Sky News, “The policemen I represent were just doing their job according to the procedures in place. The defence team was accusing the policemen of police brutality and that they weren’t doing their jobs correctly. That is why they tried to justify the assault that was done to the policemen.
“We are totally appalled by that. We say that it is an unsportsmanlike conduct and they would not give even a single apology. If they had said they were very sorry I do not think the matter would have arrived here.”
Maguire spent two nights in police custody and felt no need to apologise for his actions. “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’ve ever been inside a prison.
“I don’t feel like I owe an apology to anybody. An apology’s something when you’ve done something wrong. I regret being in the situation. Obviously the situation’s 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.”
When asked if he should remain Manchester United’s captain, the defender said, “It’s a massive privilege to play for the club, never mind to be a captain. Obviously, it’s not my decision to make. I have great faith in the Greek law. The 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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