Did £190k-a-week England star try to bribe police after punch-up on Greek holiday?
ENGLAND defender Harry Maguire was spending his second night in a greek jail cell last night after being arrested following an altercation with police.
The 27-year-old Manchester United captain is among three men due in court today for allegedly attacking officers on the island of Mykonos.
Police claim attempts were made to bribe them to hush up the incident.
Maguire, who earns £190,000 a week, was on holiday with his fiancee Fern Hawkins, other family and friends when trouble flared early yesterday.
Police were called to the Fabrika district of Mykonos Town when two groups of English tourists were said to have clashed after refusing to leave the area once the bars shut at midnight.
Officers tried to restore calm but found themselves verbally abused before one was punched, police said. A second fight broke out at the local police station where the three arrested, including Maguire, ‘strenuously resisted, pushing and striking three officers’. Police allege the group tried to bribe officers.
‘When the brawl was all sorted out, one of the two groups – with the football player – started verbally abusing officers,’ said police spokesman Petros Vassilakis.
‘One of the three members of the group threw a swing at one of the policemen and a fight ensued. All of the three, aged 27, 28, and 29, were arrested but during the effort to do so, they, including the football player, got violent. They knocked down at least two policemen, hit them and kicked them. I can’t tell you what they were telling us – all English swear words against the authorities. All three are being held in custody.’
There were reports that the three tried to flee but were caught and handcuffed. They are accused of assault, resisting arrest, verbally insulting and threatening the arresting officers and attempted bribery, police said.
greek media quoted sources saying they ‘calmed down the morning after and were apologetic, but the case against them will proceed nonetheless’.
Maguire and his friends spent much of yesterday in the cells on Mykonos before being taken 30 miles by boat to the island of Syros, where they were spending a second night in custody before a court appearance today.
Maguire was pictured in T-shirt, shorts, cap, face mask and sunglasses when he arrived at Syros police station. His’s lawyer Constantine darivas told local media Maguire was in an ‘excellent condition’ and ‘everything is going well’, adding: ‘He denies the allegations against him. Fortunately, we will get rid of it tomorrow.’
Maguire and his party had reportedly spent Thursday celebrating the birthday of snooker world No 1 Judd Trump.
On Wednesday night, Maguire – who has daughters Lillie, aged 16 months, and Piper, three months, with Miss Hawkins – was filmed looking unsteady on his feet in a bar as he hugged an apparent stranger. He was also photographed drinking shots in a bar. The greek government has issued strict rules to curb the spread of coronavirus on the party island, insisting that clubs, bar and restaurants close between midnight and 7am.
Manchester United, who paid Leicester City £80million for Maguire a year ago, said: ‘The club is aware of an alleged incident involving Harry Maguire in Mykonos. Contact has been made with Harry, and he is fully cooperating with the greek authorities.’