Manchester: Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery. The English international was arrested last week after a fight with a group at a nightclub on the Greek island of Mykonos and spent two nights in custody.
He was arrested along with his brother and a friend after he claimed his sister was injected with a suspected rape drug while on holiday in Mykonos. The player didn’t appear in court on Tuesday, but his brother Joe, 28, and Christopher Sharman, 29, appeared in court. Joe has been found guilty of repeated bodily harm, violence against public employees and attempted bribery while Sharman has been found guilty of insult, repeated bodily harm and violence against public employees.
Earlier, according to reports, the 27-year-old defender, who has 26 national caps, convinced England manager Gareth Southgate to include him in the squad for Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark despite the charges on him. Southgate denied the charges against Maguire and stood by his centre-back
“It is clearly a decision that is not straightforward,” Southgate told a press conference. “I have spoken with Harry. I have the insight to the story which is very different to what is being recorded. You can only make decisions on facts you are aware of. If facts or information change I will have to review that decision, but I have a fantastic relationship with the boy — he has been a fantastic character for us. He has my support at this moment.”
Southgate has previously shown his willingness to get tough with misbehaving players, dropping Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling after he clashed with Liverpool’s Joe Gomez in a training ground dispute.
