Ryan Giggs was set to be an original Hall of Fame inductee but those plans were changed when the Manchester United legend was put on trial following allegations of domestic abuse
The Premier League backed out of plans to make Ryan Giggs one of the first Hall of Fame members as he faced trial for domestic abuse.
Alan Shearer was its first member and the original plan was to induct him alongside the 52-year-old Manchester United legend. Giggs held the record of scoring in every Premier League season until he retired and he has won the competition more than any player in history.
The Telegraph reports that Giggs was due to be among the inaugural inductees, before it was delayed in 2020 by the Covid pandemic, and by the time it resumed the Welshman was facing domestic abuse charges and subsequently left off the list with Thierry Henry instead among the first two entrants.
Giggs was found not guilty of coercive or controlling behaviour in July 2023 after his ex-girlfriend declined to give evidence in a retrial. He had always denied the charges and said at the time he was “deeply relieved”.
Chris Daw KC, who represented Giggs, told Manchester Crown Court: “The position is that he has always been innocent of these charges and there have been very many lies told about him.”
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It has been two and a half years since his accuser withdrew her evidence and there is pressure to bring Giggs back into the conversation. Some have cited how individuals with criminal history have still been inducted into the Hall of Fame – and not doing so with Giggs represents double standards.
Eric Cantona was previously convicted over assault, while Tony Adams was jailed for drink driving. John Terry, banned for four matches by the Football Association for racism, and Rio Ferdinand, banned for eight months for missing a drugs test, are both in the Hall of Fame.
Giggs previously didn’t appear bothered by his omission. He has told the Daily Mail: “It’s not something that I really think about. It’s been brought up a couple of times, and only then do I think about it. [The Hall of Fame] isn’t something you start in football to be in.”
The Hall of Fame inductees are selected via a combination of public vote, a shortlist determined by a panel and then final choices determined by existing inductees. Eden Hazard and Gary Neville have recently been included.
Mirror Football approached the Premier League for a comment and, without speaking specifically about Giggs, they said: “The Premier League Hall of Fame shortlist is selected at the discretion of the Premier League in consultation with members of the Premier League Awards Panel.
“The final inductees each year are determined by the existing members of the Hall of Fame. The shortlist is reviewed on an annual basis with a number of factors taken into account including previous shortlist voting data, eras, player positions and achievements. New players who meet the criteria for selection become eligible upon their retirement from professional football. ”
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