Harry Maguire 'faces England World Cup worry' after Greek court sentence upheld

View 3 Images

Harry Maguire will have to declare his conviction for non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery to obtain a visa for the USA, if he is selected by England for the 2026 World Cup . Six years after the Manchester United defender was arrested in Mykonos, Maguire was handed a 15-month suspended sentence as a result of a guilty verdict by the Greek Courts.

In August 2020, he was charged with non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery after an altercation on the Greek island. More than half a decade later, he has been found guilty on all three counts.

The £80million defender, who denies the charges, has instructed his legal team to appeal the sentence, which has been reduced to 15 months from an initial 21 months that was first imposed on him in 2020. If they are successful, this new judgement will be quashed.

However, if the appeal is turned down, it could impact Maguire's hopes of acquiring a visa for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico with the Sun claiming it could jeopardise his chances of going. When he makes his application, he will also need to declare the conviction.

The US Embassy and Consulates in the United Kingdom website states: "If you have ever been arrested, cautioned and/or convicted of an offense anywhere in the world, you are required to declare it when applying for a visa.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

"In cases where an arrest resulted in a conviction, you may be permanently ineligible to receive a visa and will require a waiver ineligibility to travel to the United States.

"The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to United States visa law. Therefore, even if your arrest or conviction is considered spent, you are still require to declare it and furnish an ACRO Police Certificate when applying for a visa."

View 3 Images

However, the Press Association report that sources close to the player said there were no travel restrictions on Maguire.

At the start of the Premier League season, the idea of the 32-year-old being part of England's World Cup squad may have been unlikely. He was not selected by Gareth Southgate for the 2024 European Championship.

The ex-Leicester City defender has also not featured for the Three Lions since 2024, when interim manager Lee Carsley started him in a 2-0 victory over Ireland in the UEFA Nations League. However, in February, England manager Thomas Tuchel suggested Maguire and his United team-mates Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo were back in his thoughts.

The German, when asked about the United trio, said: "It is great that [Mainoo] is back on the pitch. He is such a huge talent. He has played already a tournament from start to finish for England, so he is back in the picture, so is Luke Shaw and so is Harry [Maguire].

View 3 Images

"There are some players suddenly back in the picture, they play a back four now and play with a different style which is a bit easier to translate to our structure at the moment. It's good competition."