Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been found guilty of charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and repeated attempts of bribery after an incident in Greece last week.
The Manchester United captain, his brother Joe and their friend Christopher Sharman have been on trial in Greece after an incident in the early hours of Friday morning while Maguire was on holiday on the island of Mykonos with family and friends.
Greek police claimed the three defendants were involved in an altercation with officers on the island and that bribery was attempted after they were taken to the police station. Maguire pleaded not guilty to all charges and was represented by his lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, in the hearing on Tuesday as he was not required to be present in person. The hearing took place in Syros with his father Alan in attendance and all three defendants were found guilty.
Despite the charges hanging over the defender, England manager Gareth Southgate named the centre back in his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark.
‘It is a decision that I could only take on the information that I have. I have spoken with Harry and I have the insight into the story, which is different to what’s being reported. In these instances, I think you can only make decisions on the facts you are aware of. Clearly, if facts change further down the line then I have to review that decision,’ Southgate said.
‘But, I have a fantastic relationship with the boy, Harry has been an outstanding character for us and I have no reason to doubt what he is telling me. It is important that he knows he has my support at this moment.’
Maguire played 55 times for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United team in the 2019-20 season as he captained them to a third-place finish in the English top flight and the semi-finals of the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.