ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was given a 15-month suspended sentence Wednesday for his role in a nightclub brawl involving police officers on the Greek island of Mykonos in August 2020, court officials announced.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs have asked Maguire’s club and the English Football Association to impose sanctions on the player.
The England national team was originally Sentenced to 21 months suspended sentence Immediately after the incident, he appealed the verdict, which started a new trial in a court on the island of Syros, the region’s administrative capital.
The appeal hearing was postponed several times, including once. Because of the lawyers’ strike.
Mr Maguire, who turns 33 on Thursday, was found guilty of causing minor bodily harm, insulting a police officer, attempted bribery and unlawful assault on a police officer.
The sentence was suspended for three years.
Mr Maguire can appeal Wednesday’s ruling at Greece’s Supreme Court in Athens.
Lawyer wants FA to take legal action against Maguire
The centre-back was not present at Wednesday’s trial but denied any wrongdoing. In 2020, he said, “If anything, myself, my family and friends are the victims.”
But lawyers representing the officers involved in the 2020 incident accused Mr Maguire of showing arrogance and a lack of remorse.
“He has never apologized. He has never apologized,” lawyer Ioannis Paradisis told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “As of today, he has a criminal history.
“We hope his club and the English Football Association take action against him,” he added. “How can someone with a criminal record and a conviction for assaulting a police officer continue to play for the national team and for England? That is unacceptable.”
Paradise also released a statement on behalf of the officers who wanted an apology as a “rudimentary show of respect.”
It added: “The continued appearance of individuals with violent convictions as Premier League players and as public figures respected by young fans around the world is inconsistent with the values of the sport and the exemplary status that elite athletes are expected to embody.”
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