Premier League withdrew Ryan Giggs’s Hall of Fame invitation amid court case

Ryan Giggs was invited to become an inaugural member of the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2020, but the offer was withdrawn amid a court case. He had been chosen alongside Alan Shearer for the first inductees; the 2020 event was postponed because of the Covid pandemic and at a rescheduled event in 2021 Giggs was replaced by Thierry Henry.

Giggs was charged in April 2021 with coercive or controlling behaviour against his former partner Kate Greville and with assaulting her sister, the charges relating to incidents before the hall of fame event while he was manager of Wales. The Crown Prosecution Service withdrew the charges in 2023 after his ex-partner stepped back from giving evidence at a retrial.

The CPS said at the time: "We have determined there is no longer sufficient evidence available to proceed in respect of the controlling or coercive behaviour charge and that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute the remaining assault charges." Since the collapse of the case there have been growing calls for the 52-year-old to be included among the Premier League’s greatest players.

Giggs made 963 appearances for Manchester United from 1991 to 2014, scoring 168 goals, and holds the record for most Premier League titles won by any player, at 13. In December, Giggs said the Hall of Fame was "not something that I really think about" and told the Daily Mail: "If it happens, great.

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