Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence after he was found guilty of attacking as the lawyer for two of the officers involved in the case said the footballer should “hang his head in shame”.
Maguire, 27, was found guilty of assaulting police, verbal abuse, and attempted bribery after the alleged fight last Friday – just hours after he received the backing of England manager Gareth Southgate, who on Tuesday afternoon named him in his next international squad.
Million of fans will now be looking to see if the player keeps his place for next month’s UEFA Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark, after the Three Lions boss warned he could be dropped “if facts of information changes”.
Despite being found guilty, the £85 million defender has spoken out on Tuesday afternoon and is protesting his innocence, with plans to appeal the verdict handed down by the Greek courts.
He said: “Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing.
“I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims.”
Ioannis Paradissis, lawyer for two of the six policemen involved in the case, told MailOnline that Maguire is a “disgrace” and has “invented a pack of lies and has not had the decency to apologise”.
Paradissis said: “He has insulted our police officers and he and his friends left three of them injured. They had to be taken to hospital and were brutally beaten by Maguire, his brother Joe and their friend.
“Maguire and his friends then invented a story about Albanians attacking his sister. I’ve never heard such rubbish. This was a shameful attempt to cover up their disgusting behaviour and an insult to Albanians and the Greek police.
“Maguire is a role model, he should hang his head in shame and return to Greece to apologise.”
Maguire’s brother Joe who plays for non-league team Ilkeston Town, was also found guilty of assault, attacking police and attempted bribery, while a third man, 29-year-old Christopher Sharman, was guilty of two assault charges and another of verbal abuse.