MAGUIRE AXED
GARETH SOUTHGATE was last night forced into an embarrassing U-turn as he axed Harry Maguire from his England squad after the defender was sensationally handed a suspended two-year jail sentence. On an extraordinary day in Greece, the Manchester United captain was found guilty on three charges of assaulting police, verbal abuse and attempted bribery. And the remarkable ruling in Syros, which saw Maguire receive a suspended prison term of 21 months and ten days, resulted in England boss Southgate having to backtrack on his original decision of including the 27-year-old in his squad to face Iceland and Denmark next month. Maguire issued a statement which
staunchly maintained his innocence and confirmed his decision to appeal the guilty ruling, while Manchester United released their own circular supporting their defender’s claims.
Southgate, though, had no option but to banish Maguire from his latest squad, just hours after confirming the player’s inclusion.
However, it is important to stress that Southgate had said earlier that he reserved the right to change his mind if new information should come to light.
Southgate said: ‘In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark.
‘As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation. Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week.’
Earlier in the day, Southgate took a calculated gamble in naming Maguire in his 24-man party for next month’s UEFA Nations League games, despite the fact his court case in Greece was being heard simultaneously.
The England manager, who has shown in the past he is not afraid to take difficult decisions for breaches of discipline, said he had spoken to Maguire to hear his version of events and was satisfied with what his central defender had told him.
‘I am putting a lot of faith in him but I think it is fair to do that both in terms of my relationship with him and what he has given to the team,’ said Southgate. ‘It’s clearly a decision that is not straightforward and a decision that I could only take on the information that I have.
‘I have spoken with Harry. I have the insight to the story. I have no reason to doubt what he’s telling me and it’s important that he knows that he’s got my support at this moment.’
But Southgate’s original decision backfired with the guilty verdict.
Sources in Maguire’s camp questioned the credibility of yesterday’s court proceedings in Greece and believe their pending appeal will clear his name.
There is said to be significant forensic and video evidence that would substantiate Maguire’s claimed innocence which the player’s legal team were not allowed to present in court yesterday. They hope it can be used in his forthcoming appeal.
There is a feeling from inside the Maguire camp that the case was rushed and ill-considered, underlined by claims his lawyers only received a 50-page document clarifying the charges the night before yesterday’s hearing.
His legal team’s request for an adjournment was rejected, which added to a feeling the Greek court were intent on the case being concluded yesterday.
The verdict wasn’t delivered until around 7.15pm, despite the fact Greek court days usually conclude at 3pm.
In a statement, Maguire said: ‘Following the hearing, 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.’
United’s statement read: ‘Harry Maguire pleaded not guilty to all the misdemeanour charges made against him and he continues to strongly assert his innocence.
‘It should be noted that the prosecution confirmed the charges and provided their evidence late on the day before the trial. On this basis, along with the substantial body of evidence refuting the charges, Harry Maguire’s legal team will now appeal the verdict, to allow a full and fair hearing at a later date.’
There remains a perception, however, that England’s footballers are continually failing to make the right choices and to stand well clear of the fires that wait to burn them.
Less than a year ago, Southgate said he wanted players who were ‘high performance and low maintenance’ and added: ‘I know pretty much everything about all of them.’
The message was pretty blunt but doesn’t seem to have got through. As well as Maguire yesterday, Southgate found himself fielding questions about Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish (four Covid-19 lockdown breaches between them) and Raheem Sterling,
who was forced to take a virus test after attending Usain Bolt’s 34th birthday party in Jamaica.
Bolt has subsequently tested positive following a gathering at which social distancing did not appear to be a priority.
Southgate said he would be reminding his players of their responsibilities when they get together in camp.
Sterling and Walker were included in the squad but Grealish was left out, with Southgate insisting he had made that decision purely around football.
‘With Jack, the simple answer is Mason Greenwood,’ said Southgate. ‘He’s competing against Mason, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling. He (Grealish) is a talent. But Mason’s performances, his goalscoring ability and maturity made it impossible to leave him out.’