The father of tragedy himself, Old Aeschylus, who kept Athenian audiences on tenterhooks with his canon of lusty dramas, would have been rubbing his hands at the prospect of telling this story. On a tiny island in the middle of the Aegean, a modern-day hero is brought low in a storm of wild claim and counter-claim.
Harry Maguire – captain of Manchester United, backbone of England – hit with a conviction for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts to bribe, and handed a 21-month suspended sentence for his trouble. Not the treble of Maguire’s dreams. But we are not done yet.
In the best traditions of narrative cut and thrust, Maguire hit straight back with notice to appeal. He, and his two partners in crime, brother Joe, and friend Christopher Sharman, were the victims here, he says, in a robust restating of innocence.
United, who highlighted issues with a process that they claim did not allow Maguire’s Greek lawyers sufficient time to prepare, are right behind their man.
What a day. From the prosecution, the court heard how Maguire had behaved abusively towards policemen during a bacchanalian night out on the neighbouring island of Mykonos, how during the arrest he had pushed a police officer to the ground.
On arrival at the police station, the court heard how he played the fame card. “Do you know who I am? I am the captain of Manchester United. I am very rich. I can give you money. I can pay you.”
The defence countered that Maguire’s meaning was lost in translation, that he was asking only if he could pay a fine in order to be released. They also told the court how Maguire believed his sister had been injected with a date-rape drug by Albanian assailants that made her eyes roll before fainting. That the cab they booked to take them to a medical centre was instead driven straight to the police station, where Maguire was kicked in the shin by a police officer and told his career was over.
Maguire’s lawyers asked for an adjournment, claiming that they had received the formal prosecution papers only on the morning of the case. The three-man panel hearing the case said no and, at the end of a breathless session that went deep into the afternoon, accepted the testimony of the arresting officers.
Afterwards, a member of the prosecution team upbraided Maguire for not appearing in court, suggesting this could have gone away at the outset by the offer of an apology not cash.
As he spat his disapproval at Martha Kelner of Sky News with increasing excitement, you sensed the vindication of the underdog after taking it to Maguire’s fancy lawyers imported from Athens. At the pen of Aeschylus, Maguire might not have escaped so lightly. Only his reputation is dented and he may recover that given the time denied his counsel. Better that than being tied to a rock and speared by thunderbolts from Zeus.
England manager Gareth Southgate will also be hoping for a better outcome second time around. His backing of Maguire before the verdict was a rare false step, his investment in the player’s character greater than his understanding of the Greek justice system.
Having spoken to the player, Southgate is obviously convinced that Maguire and right are on the same side. Nevertheless, he took the necessary step of withdrawing Maguire from the England squad having gambled prematurely on victory in court.
Without the aid of CCTV footage, Maguire’s lawyers have work to do to persuade a new panel of judges to believe him and not the four police officers who provided evidence in the case.
Ultimately, Maguire has been given a crash course in how celebrity and the punter do not mix. His man-of-the-people instincts will doubtless be revised upwards in the future. As things stand, the Elgin Marbles have more chance of returning to Greece than Maguire. It’s Barbados with Wayne and Coleen after this.
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