Harry Maguire looks set to KEEP the Manchester United armband

Harry Maguire will be called in for talks with Manchester United over the club captaincy but looks set to KEEP the armband as he is urged to apologise for his early-hours Mykonos brawl while he attempts to appeal

  • Footballer Harry Maguire was arrested while on holiday in Mykonos this week 
  • The defender was found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and bribery
  • He was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday afternoon
  • Maguire has been kicked out the England squad by manager Gareth Southgate
  • The England player is unlikely to lose his role as Manchester United captain
  • Maguire and his legal team immediately appealed the conviction on Tuesday

Manchester United have no immediate plans to remove Harry Maguire from the club captaincy but will hold talks with him after his arrest and conviction in Mykonos. 

The England international was found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery while on holiday in Mykonos last week.

The defender was handed a 21-month and 10 day suspended sentence by Greek authorities on Tuesday, which led to him being withdrawn from the England national team squad by manager Gareth Southgate just hours after being selected for the September internationals. 

Harry Maguire is unlikely to lose the Manchester United captaincy after his arrest in Greece

But there is no indication that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take away his leadership role at Manchester United, which he was given in January this year. 

The Premier League club will continue their ongoing dialogue with Maguire but do not plan to have sit-down talks with the defender. He is due back at the United training ground on September 2. 

Maguire launched an immediate appeal against the conviction, with the player’s legal team and his employers both confident in a positive outcome. Manchester United will support him in the appeal process. 

The England international has been the Manchester United skipper since last January

There is belief from the footballer’s camp that the sentence can get overturned due to the evidence that they can bring in a retrial. 

A key part of Maguire’s defence was that he, his brother and a friend had gone to the aid of his sister Daisy, who fainted on a night out in Mykonos after being injected with a date-rape drug by ‘two Albanians’ they did not know, who then fled. 

There is therefore evidence to suggest that Maguire and his sibling suffered ‘physical harm’ which resulted in the confrontation. 

Maguire confident in his defence that he and his sister Daisy (left) suffered physical harm 

There is also CCTV evidence which could support Maguire’s appeal in the coming weeks. It is expected that the appeal process will take some time but can be resolved before the start of United’s Premier League season on September 19. 

Meanwhile, Yoannis Paradissis, a prosecutor representing the Greek policemen involved in the event, claimed the Manchester United captain’s conviction could be overturned if he apologises.

Mr Paradissis told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: ‘I believe there is still time for the three defendants to say they are sorry, and then I believe that the outcome might be different. 

Yoannis Paradissis (above) said Maguire’s conviction could be overturned if he apologises

Maguire posted the following image on Instagram on Tuesday night after his conviction

‘I don’t know (if the Greek authorities will accept this), but they told me they are still waiting for an apology and they haven’t heard any.

‘And this is what I find quite shocking and quite unsportmanship (sic), because fair play means when I’ve done something wrong, I apologise or at least I say I’m sorry for what happened to the other person.’

The prosecutor also said that 20-year-old sister Daisy said nothing about being drugged by Albanians when interviewed by police. 

Meanwhile, Maguire broke his silence on Instagram on Tuesday night after his sentencing, posting an image of the saying: ‘Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha.’




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