Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been granted a full retrial after initially being found guilty of aggravated assault and attempted bribery in a Greek court.
The Englishman was arrested in Greece after a brawl in a Mykonos bar and will now take his appeal to a more ‘senior court’, with the previous verdict quashed.
A statement from United confirmed Maguire had been successful in appealing the 21-month suspended sentence which was handed down on Tuesday.
The club said: ‘An appeal against yesterday’s verdict was lodged this morning by Harry’s legal team.
‘In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing of an appeal extinguishes the initial court verdict and nullifies the conviction.
‘The appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court.
‘This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty.
‘Accordingly, he is not subject to any international travel restrictions.’
Maguire returned home to the UK before the case was heard in court this week and can now remain in Manchester and travel with the squad for any Champions League games.
The 27-year-old has denied the charges. Maguire’s brother, Joe, and family friend, Christopher Sharman, was also arrested last Friday while on holiday in Greece and were both given a 13-month suspended prison sentence.
‘Following the hearing, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing,’ a statement from Maguire read.
‘I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims.’
While Maguire is expected to keep hold of the armband at United, Gareth Southgate axed the centre-back from the England squad having initially selected him for September’s Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.
