Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy borrowed money from teammates for legal fees and child support after being charged with sex offences, an employment tribunal heard on Monday. Mendy is seeking £11.5 million ($15 million) in unpaid wages from the Premier League champions, who stopped paying him after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in 2021. The ex-France international was found not guilty of six charges of rape and sexual assault. one charge of sexual assault in January 2023, but the same jury could not reach a verdict on another charge of rape and one charge of attempted rape.
After a retrial, Mendy was found not guilty of both charges.
Mendy, who joined City from Monaco in 2017 for a reported £52 million, was released by the club in June 2023 following the expiry of his contract.
Court documents shared with Manchester Employment Tribunal said Mendy “ran out of money very quickly” and had to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover legal fees, bills and child support after his wages were withheld.
“I had difficulty paying my child support, I felt terrible,” the footballer said in a witness statement.
“Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez have all lent me money to help me pay my legal fees and support my family.”
Mendy, who now plays for French Ligue 2 club Lorient, claimed he had been assured by a senior city official that he would receive his unpaid wages once he was cleared of the charges.
The club continued to pay Mendy's monthly salary of £500,000 following his first arrest in November 2020, but argued this was unnecessary after he was charged over his bail conditions and a Football Association suspension meant he could not carry out his duties as a footballer. player.
“At no time have Manchester City apologized to me or even acknowledged that their actions have cost me almost everything,” Mendy's witness statement said.
“I believe it is fair and just that I receive the wages I would have earned had I not been wrongfully arrested for crimes I did not commit.”
The labor court is expected to last two days.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article