Former Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has launched a “multi-million pound” claim against the club over unpaid wages.
The 29-year-old was charged with rape and sexual assault in August 2021, nine months after an alleged incident at his home in Cheshire, and was suspended by the treble winners pending a trial.
Mendy, who denied all of the allegations made against him, was found not guilty in January 2023 of seven counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault at Chester Crown Court, while the same jury could not reach a verdict on an additional count of raped and sexual assault. He was later cleared of both charges after a retrial in June.
The Frenchman previously said in court that City had stopped paying his £100,000-per-week wages in September 2021, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer once his contract had expired.
In a statement released to Sky Sports News, Nick De Marco KC confirmed that he’s representing Mendy over a loss of earnings and that a claim had been made against the club.
“Nick De Marco KC (instructed by Laffer Abogados (Madrid) is acting for the former Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy in a multi-million-pound claim for unauthorised deductions from wages.
“Manchester City FC failed to pay Mr. Mendy any wages at all from September 2021, following Mr. Mendy being charged with various offence all of which he was subsequently acquitted of, until the end of his contract in June 2023. The claim will come before an Employment Tribunal.”
Mendy was once the Premier League’s most expensive defender, costing City £52m when they opted to sign him from Monaco in 2017, and now plays for Lorient in Ligue 1 after joining as a free agent.
What we know
- Former Manchester City defender found not guilty of rape and sexual assault charges in January and June 2023
- Mendy files claim with Employment Tribunal over “unauthorised deduction in wages”
- Treble-winners City suspended Mendy in September 2021 after player was charged by police.