Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has said he feared for his life and thought he was being kidnapped during his arrest in Greece.
Manchester United on Wednesday said England defender Maguire no longer had a criminal record and was free to travel internationally. He is awaiting a full re-trial in a more senior court, as per a Sky Sports report.
“My initial thought, I thought we were getting kidnapped. We got down on our knees, we put our hands in the air, they just started hitting us,” he told BBC Sport.
“They were hitting my leg saying my career’s over, ‘No more football. You won’t play again’.
“And at this point I thought there is no chance these are police or I don’t know who they are so I tried to run away, I was in that much of a panic, fear, scared for my life. All the way through it.”
Maguire said that incident took place outside a police station after he tried to take his younger sister Daisy to a hospital because she appeared to be losing consciousness having been approached by two men.
The 27-year-old also denied attempting to bribe the police. When asked about that, he replied: “No, for sure. As soon as I saw that statement, it’s just ridiculous.”
“It was horrible. It’s not something I ever want to do again. I don’t wish it on anybody. It’s the first time I’ve ever been inside a prison,” he said.
“I don’t feel like I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you’ve done something wrong or regret. I regret being in the situation. I play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, I regret putting the fans and the club through this.
“I think it could have happened anywhere. I love Greece, I think us footballers get a bit of stick for trying to stay away from everything. It’s not how I want to live my life,” he added.