Manchester City suspended Benjamin Mendy in August 2021 following allegations of rape. The defender was acquitted of these charges in June. The 29-year-old is now demanding the salary for this period from his former club
At the end of August 2021, there was great excitement when Cheshire County Police arrested Benjamin Mendy, who was under contract with Manchester City at the time. The left-back was investigated on suspicion of rape and sexual assault in several cases. The Frenchman was ultimately acquitted of six charges in January 2023, and then also acquitted of the two remaining charges of “rape and attempted rape” in July 2023.
Mendy’s acquittal could now cost Manchester City dearly, as the Citizens suspended the now 29-year-old 2018 World Cup winner immediately after the allegations came to light – and apparently also stopped paying him a salary. Mendy now wants to sue for these outstanding salary payments in court
“Manchester City FC failed to pay Mr. Mendy any salary at all from September 2021 until the end of his contract in June 2023 after Mr. Mendy was charged with various offences, all of which he was later acquitted of,” Mendy’s lawyer Nick De Marco told KC, announcing: “The claim will go to an employment tribunal.” According to the Daily Mail, the sum involved is said to be between nine and ten million pounds sterling, the equivalent of between 10.5 and 11.5 million euros.
Mendy played 50 league games for Manchester City
Mendy, who joined the Citizens from Monaco in 2017 as the world’s most expensive defender at the time, made a total of 50 Premier League appearances for the reigning treble winners. The defender played his last game in the English top flight on August 15, 2021 in the Sky Blues’ 0:1 draw at Tottenham. However, the investigation and the trial led to a major career setback for the ten-time French international. It was only after his acquittal that Mendy found a new employer again: in the summer, he moved to FC Lorient in France on a free transfer. He has appeared in three games for the current sixteenth-placed team in Ligue 1 this season
