The Greek court drama that has haunted Harry Maguire is unlikely to end any time soon after the Manchester United defender learned that hopes of clearing his name over his alleged role in a Mykonos assault case will be put on hold – this time because of a lawyers’ strike in the country.
Maguire had hoped this week to finally overturn the 21-month suspended sentence he received for his purported involvement in a brawl on the island. The 30-year-old was described as being “geared up” for Wednesday’s hearing before an appeals court judge on the Aegean island of Syros. But legal action called by the Greek union of lawyers over new tax measures has meant only emergency cases can be heard.
“The case is going to be adjourned,” the prosecution lawyer, Yannis Paradisis, said. “The strike has meant court proceedings cannot take place. We will be given a new date by the judge tomorrow.”
Maguire vowed to clear his name after being found guilty of assaulting police officers, resisting arrest and attempted bribery in the wake of a drunken bust-up outside a nightclub in Mykonos in August 2020. Wednesday’s appeal would have come more than 18 months after the trial date was set.
It is not the first hurdle the England international has faced. In May last year the presiding judge, Maria Papadimitriou, was forced to postpone the hearing after Maguire’s high-flying lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, a specialist in human rights, warned he would be 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 had chosen to turn up in person – which he is not compelled to do. His legal team had hoped this week’s trial – a staggering 42 months after the brawl – would finally draw a line under the incident.
“At this rate Maguire may have retired from professional football when he receives a summons,” a court official at the Syros tribunal said, confirming the adjournment. “After eight years the statute of limitations kicks in. If the case hasn’t been heard by then it will be written off.”
Maguire has denied he struck police officers when they attempted to break up a street fight while he was holidaying on the island. He has claimed local officers lashed out at him after he was forced to intervene when his younger sister, Daisy, was stabbed in an arm. The footballer has alleged the sight of Daisy fainting prompted him to act after she was jabbed with a metal straw by a gangster type whose advances she had previously rejected.
Paradisis, who represents two of the three policemen claiming the footballer kicked and punched them, told the Guardian his clients were “patient men”. “They are professionals and they know that justice [in this country] can take a long time,” he said.
