Harry Maguire - Altercation in Mykonos & Trial Thread [See Mod Note in OP - 26 Aug]

murpho999

Drumpot wrote: »

It is of course trivial.

FIFA is a corrupt mess. World cups are literally bought with bribes. Clubs and world cups (Quatar/Russia) are being used to sports wash owners/governments reputations. Racism and homophobia is only recently being addressed and its mostly on an optical level, not enough is being done.

But one footballer, got into an altercation with police in a foreign country is a massive story. Priorities are all wrong there, but in a sport that brushes its major issues under the carpet, its not surprising that rag papers and fans (like moths to a light) just cant help make it into a massive scoop.

Everything is trivial if you follow your approach.

Comparing Maguire's incident to Fifa's issue is ridiculous.

Maguire's case is nothing to do with sport anyway.

Drumpot

murpho999 wrote: »

Everything is trivial if you follow your approach.

Comparing Maguire's incident to Fifa's issue is ridiculous.

Maguire's case is nothing to do with sport anyway.

Looking at the disproportionate responses to incidents in the sport is worth pointing out.

el Fenomeno

rob316 wrote: »

What genius PR firm advised him to do a "tell all" interview BEFORE his trial.

Could well be the work of Neil Ashton, formerly a reporter for The Daily Mail and The Sun, who joined United as a PR adviser earlier this year.

Sgt Pepper 64

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

In these worrying times, he has provided some classic lines that even the two ronnies would wince at

"I was afraid for my life"
"Do you know who I am?"

and who can forget the immortal "I thought I was being kidnapped"


Brilliant

It all sounds very childish. The kidnapping one is utterly bizarre.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Horrendous interview by Maguire. Makes him look even worse. The Prince Andrew comparison is appropriate.
It's the moths to a light that actually fall for these type of deflection interviews.

murpho999

Drumpot wrote: »

Looking at the disproportionate responses to incidents in the sport is worth pointing out.

But it's a separate issue and irrelevant to Harry Maguire's case.

el Fenomeno

A Greek lawyer has his say on Maguire's interview.

https://www.football365.com/news/greek-lawyer-tears-apart-man-utd-maguire-ridiculous-mykonos-claims

RasTa

Some Sun journalist is head of PR at United now, no doubt he gave the go ahead for the interview.

gimli2112

The Maguire response is just so insane, it has to be true.

I think if it went down as alleged by the prosecution you'd just hold up your hands say sorry and move on. Alternatively he's incredibly deluded.

j8wk2feszrnpao

el Fenomeno wrote: »

A Greek lawyer has his say on Maguire's interview.

https://www.football365.com/news/greek-lawyer-tears-apart-man-utd-maguire-ridiculous-mykonos-claims

“Why didn’t the BBC press him further on this. How did Maguire and his group know that these men were Albanian? Is the Manchester United captain and those with him experts on Albanian culture and people? And do they speak Albanian?"

From watching British politics and it's coverage during Brexit, the BBC has gone to the dogs. It's no surprise it was such a one sided interview.

Muahahaha

~Rebel~ wrote: »

I mean, we can actually see his legs in the interview, and in the picture, and for the life of me i can't see any bruises or anything...

yeah was thinking the same myself watching the interviewe and no doubt memes are already being created off the back of it. That said it wouldnt be unusual for Greek police to rough up suspects. I think he might have got a kick alright but he is cexaggerating it by making it sound like it was a beating to end his career

adox wrote: »

I did hear on the radio the other day that the appeal could take up to a year to come about! Not sure how true that is.

Either way it was bizarre in the extreme to do the interview.

The whole thing is utterly bizarre.

yeah 1-2 years for the appeal, it seems the Greeks are unbelievably quick to convict in the first instance but very slow to check that conviction with an appeal.

I think United got him to do the interivew and it was really done for both fans and the reputation of the club in terms of attracting sponsors. Like he is literally being accused of saying 'do you know who I am, Im the captain of Man Utd, Im rich and can pay you a lot of money'. Maguire denys this so maybe the club believe him and for reputational reasons they were not willing to let a false allegation go unchallenged for the next 1-2 years until the appeal comes up.

Im presuming that Maguire himself didnt just ring the BBC and say I want to do an interview. Clubs PR officers strictly control who footballers talk to, he would likely be in breach of his own contract if he went on a solo run with that interview. Its more likely that United put him out there in an attempt to get ahead of the story but it seems to have back fired now, the allegations of assault by the police and the kidnapping comments have thrown petrol on a fire that was about to die out.

If how this kicked off is true I must say I have some sympathy for Maguire. He's saying two men approached his sister and tried to inject her with something (possibly a date rape drug?) and thats how it began. That part of the story seems genuine to me, he did choke up when talking of his sister. The rest of it though is all very vague and it sounds exaggerated.

alchemist33

el Fenomeno wrote: »

A Greek lawyer has his say on Maguire's interview.

https://www.football365.com/news/greek-lawyer-tears-apart-man-utd-maguire-ridiculous-mykonos-claims

Tbf, not just "a" Greek lawyer, but one of the prosecuting lawyers.

This is it

The smell of bullshît from both sides is something else. Whether the appeal is successful or not we're unlikely to ever know what really happened with both sides sticking to their story, though I'm reading Maguire's story has been changing slightly. Still, the truth won't come out.

Sgt Pepper 64

This is it wrote: »

The smell of bullshît from both sides is something else. Whether the appeal is successful or not we're unlikely to ever know what really happened with both sides sticking to their story, though I'm reading Maguire's story has been changing slightly. Still, the truth won't come out.

the truth is he is a young lad abroad who had too much to drink and then the red mist descended. An all too familiar tale Im afraid except this particular young man just happened to be capt of Man Utd and considerably well off.

population

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

As a United fan I was fairly taken aback by Maguire in his interview

He comes across as a weak willed character, a right gormless Rodney trotter type.

Full English breakfast ignorant English on holidays type.

I can’t see him being much of a motivating figure as a club captain.

I’m leaning towards cutting our losses get him the hell out of United and off and gone then invest the money from his sale on decent prospects

They'd be quite the losses.

kowloonkev

6 wrote: »

It all sounds very childish. The kidnapping one is utterly bizarre.

plain clothes police, maybe broken english, foreign country, complete loss of control. for someone who was never in trouble before such a feeling would be quite normal.

Drumpot

Drumpot wrote: »

Racism and homophobia is only recently being addressed and its mostly on an optical level, not enough is being done.

Would racism include making up a story to prey on people's prejudices about Albanians, relying on the stereotype that they violent criminals?

Agent Coulson

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Would racism include making up a story to prey on people's prejudices about Albanians, relying on the stereotype that they violent criminals?

Would that not be more xenophobia and that played a huge part in Brexit happening I believe.

Agent Coulson

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Would that not be more xenophobia and that played a huge part in Brexit happening I believe.

Could be, either way if it turns out that the Albanian story doesn't stack up, obviously the player would have tried to exploit anti Albanian bigotry and prejudice.

I presume Drumpot would agree that should result in a sanction.

j8wk2feszrnpao

kowloonkev wrote: »

plain clothes police, maybe broken english, foreign country, complete loss of control. for someone who was never in trouble before such a feeling would be quite normal.

In a foreign country, not knowing the local language, hammered drunk, didn’t know what was happening, getting into an altercation, waking up in a jail cell, embarrassed at behaviour, makes up a story, such actions would be quite normal.

mav79

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

In these worrying times, he has provided some classic lines that even the two ronnies would wince at

"I was afraid for my life"
"Do you know who I am?"

and who can forget the immortal "I thought I was being kidnapped"


Brilliant

Excellent, first thing that popped into my head reading that post.

stockshares

Greek lawyers reaction to Maguire's statement.
https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/manchester-united/maguires-claims-that-he-thought-he-was-being-kidnapped-by-fake-police-are-ridiculous-lawyer-39487240.html

This is class
"Maguire claims that when the minibus stopped, he did not know that it was outside a police station. It is clearly obvious what this place is.

"There are many police cars parked outside it at night, there is a sign stating that it is a police station"

and this

"Maguire claims that he feared he was being kidnapped, yet his response is to run away and call his agent, leaving behind his fiancée, brothers and sister and childhood friends. Even if you accepted this as true, which I don't, these are not the actions of an honourable man."

You could understand him leaving the Brothers in fairness. That was his chance.

He's no Franco Baresi

kowloonkev

munstermagic11 wrote: »

In a foreign country, not knowing the local language, hammered drunk, didn’t know what was happening, getting into an altercation, waking up in a jail cell, embarrassed at behaviour, makes up a story, such actions would be quite normal.

both our posts could be true

kowloonkev

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Would racism include making up a story to prey on people's prejudices about Albanians, relying on the stereotype that they violent criminals?

sounds like you have some perceptions of albanians yourself

stockshares

munstermagic11 wrote: »

In a foreign country, not knowing the local language, hammered drunk, didn’t know what was happening, getting into an altercation, waking up in a jail cell, embarrassed at behaviour, makes up a story, such actions would be quite normal.

The thing is he didn't say this after waking up in a jail cell the next morning.

He had already been to Court and was home. He had time to think since then and made this story up. Is this the best he could do!

He never mentioned it in court.

Who the hell advised him to give an interview. His post match interviews are bad enough.

kowloonkev

kowloonkev wrote: »

sounds like you have some perceptions of albanians yourself

You...serious?

You don't know the stereotype?

Or are you so determined to defend the player that you're pretending not to know?

I think you're being facetious...but if we have genuinely found someone who does not know the trope, here you go...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Albanian_sentiment

Mr.Crinklewood

Deleted User wrote: »

You...serious?

You don't know the stereotype?

Or are you so determined to defend the player that you're pretending not to know?

I think you're being facetious...but if we have genuinely found someone who does not know the trope, here you go...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Albanian_sentiment

Probably "Alba"...

kowloonkev

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You...serious?

You don't know the stereotype?

Or are you so determined to defend the player that you're pretending not to know?

are you so determined to attack the player that you are accusing him of the offense of calling some albanians albanian?

kowloonkev

kowloonkev wrote: »

are you so determined to attack the player that you are accusing him of the offense of calling some albanians albanian?

Relying on tropes and prejudice is not really an offence. It's just generic bigotry...if it's not true. Of course, maybe he is fluent in Albanian or they helpfully gave him their address.

Now, you've played the "Greek legal system is very bad" card, and the "I have no idea why he might have specified that Albanian criminals were after him" card, any other amusing defences?

Agent Coulson

Fans not doing Maguire any favours.

Greek lawyer in Harry Maguire case reveals details of hate mail he received

Ioannis Paradissis says messages from supporters of Manchester United footballer have shocked him

The fallout from Harry’s Maguire’s calamitous holiday in Mykonos has been swift, brutal and revelatory, not least for the Manchester United captain.

Yet for Ioannis Paradissis, the Greek prosecution lawyer at the centre of the case following the footballer’s arrest after a late-night brawl on the isle, the drama is far from over.

Paradissis has received hate mail from furious fans and been blamed, increasingly, for Maguire’s brush with justice culminating in the 27-year-old’s shock conviction last week on four charges including aggravated and verbal assault.

“When I got the first emails I couldn’t quite believe it,” says the soft-spoken lawyer, who spent several years as a lecturer at Surrey University before returning to Greece. “It caught me off guard.”

At first the messages were short and expletive-ridden. But from two-word “**** you” missives they have become ever more menacing, threatening to destroy the Greek economy and accusing Paradissis, and the police, of casting “shame on the reputation of all courts in Greece” and putting the nation’s tourist industry at risk.

“We all know … you are a disgusting country full of disgusting people,” read one email that landed in his inbox on Friday. “It is clear to many observers that this was a staged effort to punish a well-known footballer from a foreign country just for the sake of bitterness, jealously or simply bigoted hatred,” read another. “Well done! There goes your economy. Your people are going to thank you BIG time,” read another still.

“I’ve had messages saying I will soon be without a job and others accusing us all of corruption. It’s almost as if the entire justice system, and Greece itself, have been put on trial,” he told the Guardian from Syros, the Aegean isle where Maguire’s hearing in absentia was held on Tuesday. “It’s been taken out of all proportion. Honestly, I’m scared.”

In an unprecedented step, the Syros Bar Association issued a statement condemning the “deluge” of hate mail.

The £190,000-a-week player, in addition to assault, was found guilty of resisting arrest and attempted bribery of a policemen. The three-member misdemeanours court, which convened on Syros, the administrative centre of the Cyclades island group to which Mykonos belongs, sentenced the centre back to 21 months in prison suspended on account of his clean criminal record. His two co-defendants, who included his brother Joe, received 13-month sentences also suspended.

The verdict was appealed on behalf of the trio by Maguire’s defence team the next day.

“It’s quite rare in the Greek legal system for a court to find a defendant guilty on every count,” said Konstantinos Gogos, a prominent criminal lawyer in Athens. “If a celebrity is involved judges might be even more sensitive. I can only conclude that the evidence must have been indisputable.”

Paradissis represented three policemen among the six key prosecution witnesses at the trial. All three alleged violence on the part of the two brothers and their friend, Christopher Sharman, when they attempted to break up the brawl in Mykonos town on 20 August.

One officer described as a ranking lieutenant testified he had suffered injuries after being kicked by the footballer in both legs. Joe Maguire was accused of punching the same officer in the face, according to the charge sheet, with other violence allegedly also taking place at the police station where the trio were subsequently detained..........

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/29/greek-lawyer-in-harry-maguire-case-reveals-details-of-hate-mail-he-received