After being found not guilty of the accusations of rape and sexual assault against him, Benjamin Mendy won his case against Manchester City this Wednesday before an employment tribunal in England. The 30-year-old full-back will receive most of the unpaid wages he claimed from his former club.
A victory for Benjamin Mendy. After being found not guilty of the accusations of rape and sexual assault against him, the 30-year-old full-back won his trial against Manchester City this Wednesday in England. A Manchester employment tribunal ruled in his favor in the conflict between him and his former club, from whom he claimed more than 13 million euros in unpaid wages.
The French international (10 caps) will recover a major part of this sum, but not all because he spent five months in detention, which prevented him from honoring his contract as a professional footballer during this period. Mendy and City must now agree on the exact amount of his compensation. If they do not succeed, justice will take care of it at a future hearing.
Mendy was “prevented” from working, according to the courts
Judge Joanne Dunlop considered that Benjamin Mendy, who received nearly 600,000 euros per month at Skyblues, was “ready and willing” to work when he was not in pre-trial detention, but that he was “prevented from do it.” The 2018 world champion, placed under judicial supervision and suspended by the English Federation, ceased to be paid by Manchester City in September 2021 after his second indictment. And he received nothing more until the end of his contract in June 2023.
The former Monaco and OM player claims that Omar Berrada, the operations director then stationed at City, assured him that he would recover his emoluments if he was acquitted, but he explains that he did not receive any response when he tried to contact him again. Deprived of his income, Benjamin Mendy found himself in financial difficulty during his trial, which stretched over many months, until his total acquittal last July. In particular, he had to sell his manor located in Cheshire, in the northwest of England.
Sterling, B. Silva and Mahrez lent him money
The native of Essonne, now under contract with Lorient (Ligue 2), explained in court that his agent Meïssa N'Diaye helped him financially to pay his legal costs, his bills and child support. his children. His teammates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez also lent him money.
To justify the non-payment of his salaries, City representatives highlighted the irresponsible behavior of Mendy, who organized parties in his mansion during the Covid pandemic and who allegedly did not respect the conditions of his implementation. bail.
Mendy 'hopes' City will now 'act honourably'
The French defender defended himself by explaining that other players at the club had participated in his famous evenings, drinking alcohol and having sex with women. Without this being blamed on them. A way of showing that he was the victim of unfavorable treatment from Manchester City. Although he recognizes that these actions may have been reprehensible, Mendy believes he was the only member of the club to suffer the consequences, unfairly in his eyes.
Benjamin Mendy reacted to the court's decision in his favor in a press release posted on the networks (in English and French): “After three years of waiting, I sincerely hope that the club will now act in an honorable manner by paying the amounts due, as well as the other amounts promised under my contract without further delay, so that I can finally turn the page on this painful period of my life.”
