Manchester United captain released from custody, hearing next week

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was released from police custody on Saturday after his arrest in Greece.

“Harry has pleaded not guilty to the charges. It would be inappropriate for the player or club to comment further while the legal process takes its course,” Manchester United said in a statement.

The Manchester United captain and the two other Brits pleaded not guilty to a string of charges which include multiple instances of assault and battery in regards to a fight they had with others in Mykonos, attempted bribery and assault against a policeman.

According to The Daily Mail local resident, Kafatos, who witnessed the initial fight outside Mykonos’ Fabrica bar, claimed a group baited Maguire by calling him a ‘rubbish footballer’ and ‘a fridge’.

“I’m a big football fan and recognised Harry Maguire, who was with a group of friends. (…) They were making a lot of noise and it appeared that they had had a lot to drink. Another group of British men started abusing them, saying he was a rubbish footballer and played for a rubbish team. They were also calling him a fridge and I didn’t really understand what they meant by that.”

Kafatos added: “Then there was a lot of shouting, swearing and they started fighting. It was a real mess. They were throwing punches, kicking each other and rolling around on the ground before the police came.”

A court date has been set for August 25.

The three defendants are not obliged to attend the trial and are free to return home, the prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

Vice president of the Piraeus Bar Association, Greek lawyer Panagiotis Petropoulos, told the Sunday Mirror: “The maximum theoretical sentencing could be up to seven-and-a-half years. It is understood the total would more likely be three years because a court would sentence concurrently.”