Harry Maguire intends to appeal the verdict and played for Manchester United last night
The Greek police officers who arrested Harry Maguire six years ago have called for the Manchester United defender to be banned from playing in the Premier League.
Maguire was yesterday found guilty of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery and handed a 15-month suspended sentence, following an incident in a bar on the Greek island of Mykonos in August 2020.
His initial 21-month suspended sentence was quashed and the retrial postponed four times before finally taking place yesterday. The 33-year-old intends to appeal.
Police officers demand Premier League take action against Maguire
However, the police officers who claim to have been attacked and verbally abused by Maguire, the footballer’s brother and a friend, have called for further action to be taken.
Their lawyer Ioannis Paradissis said in a statement reported by the Daily Mail: “During the hearing, the police officers who were the victims in this case attended expecting, at minimum, an apology from the accused — an elementary gesture of respect toward individuals who were simply performing their lawful duty.
“No such apology was offered, a stance that speaks volumes about his character. It must be underlined that it is absolutely unacceptable for police officers, in the lawful exercise of their functions, to suffer bodily harm at the hands of a member of the public, even if such harm is legally classified by the court as ‘light bodily injury’.
“In light of this, the competent sporting bodies and football authorities are called upon to examine this matter without delay and to impose the sanctions that justice demands.
“It is incompatible with the values of sport, and with the role-model status that elite athletes are expected to embody, for a person with a criminal record for violence to continue to appear as a Premier League player and as a public figure looked up to by young fans across the world.”
Paradissis will not get his wish. Maguire played for United last night in their last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Newcastle. They are third in the Premier League table but not in action this weekend due to their elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton.
