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Manchester United's Harry Maguire Detained in Greece After Allegedly Hitting Cop
August 21, 2020
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was detained and later arrested following a brawl on the Greek island of Mykonos on Friday and will face charges from a public prosecutor, according to a police official.
George Georgiopoulos and Lefteris Papadimas of Reuters reported the local police official said Maguire struck an officer during an argument. He was one of three people detained.
"The soccer player was verbally abusive to an officer and then hit him," the police official said. "The three were resisting when brought to the Mykonos police station."
Manchester United released a statement about the situation: "The club is aware of an alleged incident involving Maguire in Mykonos last night. Contact has been made with Harry, and he is fully cooperating with the Greek authorities. At this time we will be making no further comment."
Maguire's lawyer, Konstantinos Darivas, said his client denies the charges and expects to be released Saturday, according to Jamie Jackson and Helena Smith of the Guardian.
The police official said Maguire and the two other people detained will be transported to the nearby island of Syros, with the accusations later laid out in an announcement of a case file.
BBC RM Sport @BBCRMsportHarry Maguire is one of three arrested by the Mykonos Police Dept. Statement: 'A case file was opened against the trio for the occasional offenses of violence against officials - court officials, disobedience, bodily harm, insult and attempted bribery of an employee.' #MUFC https://t.co/uRvTFSGiwg
According to Reuters, officers arrived at the scene after a brawl between two groups of tourists.
Maguire played every minute for United during the 38-game Premier League season after his world-record transfer for a defender from Leicester City in July 2019. He's also made 26 appearances for England's national team.
In July, Maguire told Sky Sports (via John Skilbeck of Goal) the Red Devils needed to keep making positive strides next term after finishing third in the table to earn a UEFA Champions League berth.
"As a club we expect to be in the Champions League, but the last few years have been tough," he said. "At the start of the season, the majority of people probably didn't expect us to be in the top four at the end of the season. We always had great faith in ourselves. Next season we've got to keep improving."
The Premier League announced fixtures for the 2020-21 campaign Thursday. The season kicks off Sept. 12, with Manchester United's first game set for Sept. 19 against Crystal Palace.