Manchester United defender Harry Maguire said he was afraid for his life when Greek police arrested him last week after he believed he was being kidnapped.
The England international told BBC sports editor Dan Roan that plainclothes policemen who couldn’t identify themselves ran over his group’s minibus in Mykonos, threw him off the bus, beat him on the legs and told him his career was over .
The 27-year-old said he tried to run away with a handcuff because he had no idea who the men were.
On Tuesday, Maguire was sentenced to a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison following his trial on the Greek island of Syros.
He was found guilty of repeated assault, attempted bribery, violence against public officials and abuse after arrest in Mykonos.
His legal team appealed the verdict on Wednesday. In accordance with Greek law, the appeal overturns Maguire’s conviction and there will be a full retrial in a higher court.
An emotional Maguire, who collapsed during the interview, said hearing the guilty verdict was “terrible” and he couldn’t quite believe it.
The center-back, who refuses to throw punches or bribe the police, added: “I don’t think I owe anyone an apology.
“An apology is something when you’ve done something wrong.”
He said: “I don’t wish anybody. Obviously the situation made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world so I regret that I got the fans and the club to do it, but I didn’t do anything wrong.
“I found myself in a situation in which it could have happened to anyone, anywhere.”
When asked how badly he was injured, Maguire said, “They hit my legs very badly. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in such a panic. Afraid. Afraid for my life.”
Maguire said his family suffer more than he does and that his “conscience is clear”.
“I know what happened that night. I know the truth,” he added.
“When I talk about it, I get excited, but that’s because I just feel a little angry inside. I’ll keep going. I’m mentally strong enough.”
Maguire – a £ 80m deal from Leicester City in 2019 – was named permanent captain for United in January following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan. He will likely remain skipper this season.
“It’s a great honor to be the captain of Manchester United – which I’m really proud of,” he said. “It’s a huge privilege to play for the club, no matter, captain.
“It’s not my decision, but the only thing I’ll say is how supportive the club has been from top to bottom. They’ve been great with me and I thank them for that.”
On Tuesday, Maguire was withdrawn from the English squad for the Nations League games in September against Iceland and Denmark.
He said: “I love to play for my country. Physically and mentally, I am ready to play. I am disappointed, but of course I understand.”
As Maguire says, the night has unfolded
- Maguire was on vacation with his brother, fiancée Fern, younger sister Daisy and two friends and their girlfriends.
- They were out for a drink in Mykonos and texted their minibus driver to pick them up and take them home.
- The driver was “20 minutes late” and Maguire said the group were tired and plan to return to the villa.
- Two men approached Daisy and asked her where she was from before Fern saw that “my little sister’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. She passed out, she passed out.”
- At that point, Maguire said, “everyone was screaming and screaming” when three Greek men in civilian clothes became involved.
- Maguire said they were not trying to “cause an argument or a brawl” but “it was just a lot of shouting, a lot of excitement. No fighting as reported. No punches thrown.”
- Maguire said the Greek men were just trying to calm it down but they were “a little aggressive”.
- The minibus arrived. Maguire said they put Daisy on the bus and “literally it was – it wasn’t what everyone came up with. Don’t get me wrong – there was a lot of yelling, a lot of panic, but no fighting or anything.”
- They told the driver to take her back to the villa and wanted to go to the hospital, but Daisy recovered “pretty quickly”.
- The bus drove “5-10 minutes” and stopped and parked next to this street. “We looked outside and there were eight men around the bus, all in plain clothes.”
- The doors were opened and Maguire and a friend were “kicked off the bus”.
- Maguire said the men hadn’t told them anything. At this point Maguire thought they were being kidnapped.
- Maguire and his friend ran to the main street from where he called his agent to ask for help and left messages on a WhatsApp group.
- Maguire said that when he turned to go back to the bus, he and his friend were circled by the men who were walking towards them.
- Maguire said, “We got on our knees, put our hands in the air. And they just started hitting us. They handcuffed one of my hands. They slapped my legs and said my career is up.” over – ‘no more football. ” ; you won’t play again ‘. “At that point I thought there was no chance this was police. I have no idea who they are. So I tried to run away. I had one hand in the handcuff – I moved my hand. This is where the charges come from – that’s what they say resist the arrest and that’s what the attack is – no beats were thrown. I didn’t think they were the police. “
Greek police deny this version of the events and in court prosecutors said that Maguire, his brother and friend then physically and verbally assaulted police officers.
- Maguire said he was taken to the police station and put in a cell. “That was the time when I felt a bit of relief, as crazy as that sounds. There were other people in the cell telling me to calm down and it felt like relief because I was my first time actually believed to be in jail. “”
More from Maguire’s interview with Dan Roan
The process
It was terrible. It was such a quick turnaround that it was incredible. We got the minutes for the court the night before. A large document, all in Greek. I hardly had a chance to speak to my lawyer. We were confident that the case would be adjourned to give us more time to prepare and obtain the witnesses and the evidence before us.
In order for everything to go so quickly … we obviously did not expect the process to continue.
The court heard that you abused the police. Is that true?
According to their testimony, I’m pretty sure they said I injured a policeman’s back and arm. With my hand in the air, handcuffed, when I tried to run away I didn’t know they were police at the time and thought I was being kidnapped. I don’t think I hurt him. Let’s put it this way: I didn’t hurt him as much as they hurt me.
The court heard that you tried to bribe the police and that you said, “Do you know who I am?”. Did you?
No sure. ‘Do you know who I am?’ I knew they knew who I was. Five minutes before they beat me up and said my career was over, I knew they knew who I was. As soon as I see that statement … just ridiculous.
There was definitely no bribe. At that moment we were sitting at the entrance of the prison, we were so upset, we were crying. We still didn’t believe where we were.
What do you attribute it to – your actions?
A lot of things have crossed my mind, but the answer is I don’t know. I can’t say exactly what or why. Whether it was, as you say, jealous, sewn up, misunderstood, I really don’t know.
You have appealed. How sure are you that at some point you will erase your name?
I have great faith in Greek law. The repeat rule will give us more time to prepare, gather evidence, witness in court, and I’m really confident that the truth will be told and come out.
You are a high profile guy. There are many places you can go. Do you accept that in some way you asked to be in this place that night?
I think it could have happened anywhere. I love Greece; I love the people there. I’ve been to six, seven, eight Greek islands. I go most years in my spare time. Me and my family love Greece. I don’t feel like I would have done anything else if I regretted going to Mykonos. I’ve been before and had a great time.
I think we footballers get a little stick because we try to stay away from everything and the public. I don’t want to live my life like that. I’ve always been very open. I was traveling with my family as a couple. If someone wanted a picture, they could have a picture or something signed. That probably changed my mind.
Have you been worse for wear and tear? Were you drunk? Was that a factor in all of this?
I’m not going to sit here and say I haven’t had a drink all day. I had a couple of drinks. Everyone who knows me, who has been with me, knows how I feel after I’ve had a few drinks. I am always aware; I am always in control. I was definitely not drunk. I knew what was going on. I was in a bad situation right now.
How much damage have you done to your reputation and do you regret it?
It’s not nice to see bad reports against yourself. Nobody knew what was going on that night. You either believe it or you don’t believe it. Even after the trial, the stories that emerge from the trial are so far from the truth that it is incredible. So, no, my character and personality will stay the same. I am mentally strong and I will get over it.
My conscience is clear. I know exactly what happened that night.
