Mail Sport reports that the England defender’s retrial will start on Wednesday morning at a court in Syros and that his defence team is in place ready to clear the defender’s name.
His initial retrial was first postponed in May 2023 as Maguire’s counsel was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict. Maguire was slated to be represented by Alexis Anagnostakis, a specialist in human rights, who was unable to attend because of a scheduling conflict before the supreme court in Athens. Without his defence team, Maguire could not be properly represented, even if he decided to attend in person, which he is not compelled to do.
The next attempt at a hearing was halted by a lawyers’ strike in February 2024. Legal action called by the Greek union of lawyers over tax measures meant only emergency cases were to be heard. The case was again postponed in March of this year.
Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, assaulting a police officer, and attempted bribery after an alleged brawl. He was handed a 21-month suspended sentence. That verdict was immediately repealed and nullified after Maguire’s appeal, requiring a full retrial in a more senior court.
The Manchester United centre-back has strenuously denied allegations that he struck, or attempted to bribe the officers.
In an interview with BBC Sport in August 2020, Maguire put forward his account of events, in which he alleges the plain clothes officers repeatedly struck him on the legs, and claimed his career would be over. Those actions led him to flee the scene, as he believed he was about to be kidnapped.
Speaking about the harm the incident may have caused his reputation, Maguire was defiant. “It’s not nice seeing bad reports against yourself. No-one knew what went off that night. Either you believe it or you don’t,” he said.
“Even after the court case still the stories coming out of the court case are so far away from the truth it is incredible. So, no, my character and personality will stay the same. I am strong mentally and I will get over this.
“My conscience is clear. I know exactly what happened that night.”
The United star is currently on holiday with his family, as he has not been selected by England boss Thomas Tuchel for the Three Lions’ upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Latvia. He will be represented by his legal counsel at the trial on the Aegean island of Syros, as he is not compelled to attend.
Before the incident, Maguire’s stock was at an all-time high. The previous summer, he completed a dream £80m switch to United, and was named the club’s captain within the first few months of his tenure. He was enjoying a rich vein of form for an England side that had unexpectedly made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and was preparing for a push for the European Championships.
While it would be speculative to suggest that Maguire’s downturn in form and the subsequent stripping of the United captaincy could be blamed solely on this unfortunate incident, we sometimes need to be reminded that footballers are people too. The spectre of criminal allegations, and the seemingly never-ending pursuit of clearing his name, must have acted as a real drag on Maguire and his family over the past five years. It would almost certainly have had some effect on his performance. Regardless of the outcome, putting this matter behind him will be a massive relief.
