England international Harry Maguire was repeatedly offered £50,000 to end his legal case following a clash with police on the Greek island of Mykonos in 2020 – but the Manchester United defender, who earns £190,000 a week, would rather be found guilty than pay what he calls a “bribe”. Yesterday, he lost his six-year legal battle, as a court upheld his original conviction.
The 32-year-old (soon to turn 33) branded the decision “a mess” and confirmed he will appeal to Greece’s Supreme Court.
Reporter: What was the offer made to Harry Maguire to resolve the case, and why did he refuse it?
Source Close To Maguire: They offered to make this whole thing disappear if he paid £50,000. He would rather be found guilty than pay a bribe. He will never apologise or pay any money, and Harry will clear his name. He will not stop fighting until he does, and will appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary.
Sources stated that lawyers for the plain-clothes officers involved in the late-night altercation put forward out-of-court settlement deals on multiple occasions.
Source Close To Maguire: This whole thing has always been about paying money. He hasn’t paid a single penny, and he never will. He has stood by his principles and values, and he will not back down. For six years, they have repeatedly told us this could all be resolved if he paid £50,000. We are at this point only because Harry refused to do so.
In August 2020, Maguire was on holiday in Mykonos with his wife Fern, his sister Daisy, and six other people including his brother Joe. After spending the evening in the Fabrika area, the group was waiting for a minibus when Daisy was allegedly approached by two Albanian men. A confrontation broke out, and Daisy was reportedly injected with a date rape drug and began to lose consciousness. They helped her onto a minibus and asked the driver to take them to hospital. Minutes later, they were stopped by eight plain-clothes police officers.
Reporter: What is Harry Maguire’s version of events on the night of the incident?
Harry Maguire: My first thought was that we were being kidnapped. We got down on our knees with our hands in the air, and they started hitting our legs, saying my career was over and I’d never play football again. In that moment, I was convinced these men could not be police officers. I tried to run away. I was terrified I was going to die. They showed no ID, wore no badges, nothing. So I tried to escape. I had one hand in handcuffs and was breaking free. That’s where the charges came from – they said it was resisting arrest, they said it was assault. I didn’t throw a single punch.
One officer claimed Maguire and his brother tried to bribe the police – an allegation Maguire has firmly denied. He spent two nights in a cell before his trial, where his legal team had just two hours to prepare the case. He was convicted of multiple counts of bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against a public official and insult, and handed a 21-month suspended sentence. His brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty.
Maguire immediately appealed, and the original conviction was overturned. But retrials were repeatedly delayed by Greek courts until yesterday, when a judge in Syros found him guilty of minor assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery.
Outside court, prosecutor Ioannis Paradissis called the player “a disgrace to his country and football”.
Ioannis Paradissis: The story he invented was not accepted by the court, and he has been found guilty once again. He has shown no remorse throughout and has an arrogant attitude. We are still waiting for an apology. For a man with a violent criminal record to continue appearing as a Premier League footballer and public figure, held up as a role model by young fans, is completely incompatible with the values of sport and the example elite athletes should set.
Maguire has been told he cannot appeal again on the facts, but may be allowed to argue points of law at the higher-level Supreme Court. The ruling is unlikely to affect his hopes of playing at the World Cup. Under visa rules, anyone entering the United States must declare criminal convictions – but sources have stated there will be no restrictions.