Manchester United captain Harry Maguire had reportedly been on a several-day drinking bender prior to the brawl with rival fans that resulted in his alleged attack on a policeman on the Greek island of Mykonos, writes The Sun.
Witnesses are cited as having seen Maguire and his friends racking up a £63,000 ($82,463) bar tab in just five hours, sparing no expense on vintage champagne and lobster on 18 August at the exclusive SantAnna beach bar.
“Harry has been drinking like crazy since he arrived on Mykonos… He’s been spending a fortune on booze and just doesn’t seem to stop. He seemed upset about something. It was non-stop,’’ says a source quoted by the outlet.
The English footballer, who plays as a centre back for the Premier League club Manchester United, was arrested on 20 August after being accused of assaulting an officer in a brawl which reportedly broke out after his sister, Daisy, was stabbed.
Maguire, who joined Manchester United from Leicester last year for £80 million, had flown to the island with his fiancée Fern Hawkins after his club was knocked out of the Europa League last Sunday 2-1 by Spain’s Sevilla.
Together with his brothers and several friends, he allegedly made the rounds of a series of local bars and clubs over the subsequent days, when they were said to have drawn attention from rival fans, who hurled insults at him.
According to reports, hurtful references were also made to the devastating 1958 Munich air disaster, which had left seven Manchester United players dead.
However, it was on Thursday night that things turned violent, when Maguire and his entourage returned to the SantAnna beach bar.
They are claimed to have encountered the same fans who had jeered at them before, yet on this occasion witnesses say they were “trying to wind him up.”
Maguire and two of his friends are accused of brawling with tourists and the police outside the nightclub.
A spokesperson for the Greek police was cited as saying:
“Patrolling police officers in the area of Mykonos intervened to settle a dispute between a group. However, three foreigners involved in the incident turned against them, insulting and hitting a police officer with fists. The three foreigners were taken to the Mykonos Police Station, where upon their arrival they strongly resisted, pushing and beating three police officers. Then one of the detainees tried to offer money so the process against them would not be completed.’’
According to The Sun, Maguire claims to have mistook plain-clothed police officers for rival fans that had targeted him earlier, after he had reportedly been told of his sister being stabbed.
“Harry went spare after seeing the blood on his sister and then it all kicked off big style. It was a nasty wound. Harry reacted just like anyone would if they saw a member of their family being attacked,” says a source.
Maguire was interrogated by a public prosecutor on the neighbouring island of Syros on Saturday morning after spending two nights in a cell there, and was finally allowed to walk free Saturday. The football star’s hearing is set for Tuesday, with his lawyers scheduled to represent him.
The Mirrorcites lawyer Panagiotis Petropoulos as saying the maximum sentencing might be up to seven-and-a-half years, but the total would more likely be three years, adding:
“However, in the Greek penal system any sentence up to three years can be bought on a per day basis, meaning Mr. Maguire can pay a set fee to avoid any jail time.”
This practice is intended to avoid overcrowding in Greek jails.
Accordingly, the vice-president of the Piraeus Bar Association, cited by the outlet, suggested that if Maguire, who earns £190,000 per week, is convicted of the alleged assault, he could avoid three years in jail by paying daily fees. The sum might total £90,000 ($117,801) - less than half his weekly wage.