Manchester United defender Harry Maguire said he feared for his life when Greek police arrested him last week as he thought he was being kidnapped.
The England international told BBC sports editor Dan Roan that plain-clothed police officers, who did not identify themselves, pulled over his group’s minibus in Mykonos, threw him off the bus, hit him in his legs and told him his career was over.
The 27-year-old said he tried to run away – with one handcuff on – because he had no idea who the men were.
On Tuesday, Maguire was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison after his trial on the Greek island of Syros.
He was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult after arrest on Mykonos.
On Wednesday, his legal team lodged an appeal against the verdict. In accordance with Greek law, the appeal nullifies Maguire’s conviction and there will be a full retrial in a more senior court.
An emotional Maguire, who broke down during the interview, said hearing the guilty verdict was “horrible” and that he “couldn’t quite believe it”.
The centre-back, who denies throwing any punches or trying to bribe the police, added: “I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody.
“An apology is something when you have done something wrong.”
He said: “I don’t wish it on anybody. Obviously the situation has made it difficult for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong.
“I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody and anywhere.”
Asked how badly he was hurt, Maguire said: “They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn’t on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life.”
Maguire said his family are suffering more than himself and that his “conscience is clear”.
“I know what happened that night. I know the truth,” he added.
“When I speak about it I get worked up but that’s because it just makes me feel a bit angry inside. I will move on. I am mentally strong enough.”
Maguire was named United’s permanent captain in January after the departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan, and it is likely he will remain as skippeer for next season.
“It is such a huge honour to be captain of Manchester United – something I am really proud of,” he said. “It is a massive privilege to play for the club, never mind captain.
“It is not my decision to make but the one thing I will say is how supportive the club has been from top to bottom. They have been great with me and I thank them for that.”
On Tuesday, he was withdrawn from the England squad for September’s Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.
He said: “I’m disappointed but of course I understand. I love playing for my country. Physically and mentally I am ready to play.”
How Maguire says the night unfolded
- Maguire was on holiday with his brother, two friends and their girlfriends, along with his younger sister Daisy
- They were out for drinks in Mykonos and texted their minibus driver to pick them up to take them home.
- The driver was “20 minutes late” and Maguire said the group were tired and planning to head back to the villa.
- Two men approached Maguire’s sister and asked her where she was from before Maguire’s fiancee Fern saw “my little sister’s eyes rolling to the back of her head. She ran over, she was fainting, in an out of consciousness.”
- At this point Maguire said “everyone was shouting and were screaming, trying to point out the two men who we felt were the two who had done what they’d done” when three Greek men dressed in plain clothes got involved.
- Maguire said they were not trying to “cause an argument or a scuffle”, but “it was just a lot of shouting, a lot of commotion. No fighting, as has been reported. No punches thrown.”
- Maguire said the Greek men were just trying to calm it down but they were just being “a little bit aggressive”.
- The bus turned up and Maguire said they got Daisy on the bus and “literally that was it – it wasn’t what everyone’s made it out to be. Don’t get me wrong – there was a lot of shouting, a big panic, but no fighting or anything.”
- They told the minibus driver to take them back to the villa and planned to go to the hospital, but Daisy recovered “pretty quickly”.
- Maguire said the bus drove for “5-10 minutes” and just stopped and parked up alongside this road. “We looked outside and there were eight men surrounding the bus all in plain clothes.”
- He said the doors were opened and he and a friend were “thrown off the bus”.
- Maguire said the men did not say anything to them. It was at this point that Maguire said he thought they were being kidnapped.
- Maguire and his friend ran to the main road, from where he rang his agent to ask for help, leaving messages on a group WhatsApp.
- Maguire said when he turned to walk back to the bus, he and his friend had been circled by the men, who started walking towards them.
Greek police dispute this version of events and in court the prosecution said Maguire, his brother and friend then physically and verbally attacked police officers.
- Maguire said he was taken into the police station and was put in a cell. “That was the time I felt a little bit of relief, as crazy as that sounds. There were other people in the cell telling me to calm down and it felt like relief because that was the first time I actually believed I was in prison.”