“I felt awful” - Benjamin Mendy names 3 ex-Manchester City teammates who helped him pay legal fees and child support after being charged with rape
Benjamin Mendy has shared that he had to take the help of his former Manchester City teammates to pay legal fees and child support. The Frenchman, who was charged with committing sexual offenses, claimed in an employment tribunal on Monday, October 14, regarding unpaid wages.
The Le Havre graduate joined Manchester City from Monaco for a reported fee of £52 million in 2017. Although he won the Premier League three times with City, he was released by the club at the end of the 2022-23 season following the expiry of his contract.
The left-back, who is currently playing for Lorient since being released by City, was first arrested in November 2020 for committing sexual offenses. In 2021, he was charged with seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, and one sexual assault crime, post which Manchester City stopped paying him his wages.
Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in January 2023. However, the same jury could not reach a verdict on one count each of rape and attempted rape. After a retrial for the case, the Frenchman was absolved of both charges.
In the employment tribunal, the former Marseille and Monaco full-back is claiming £11.5 million in unpaid wages by the Premier League champions. The court documents shared reveal that the Frenchman had to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover legal bills and child support payments.
In the witness statement, Mendy admitted that he had to rely on his teammates to pay his bills. He thanked Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez for lending him money.
"I struggled to pay my child support, I felt awful. Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez all lent me money to help me try and pay my legal fees and support my family," he said via NDTV.
The employment tribunal is expected to last two days.
Manchester City's actions almost cost me everything, says Benjamin Mendy
Benjamin Mendy has hit out at his former club for failing to hold their end of the bargain. He claimed that a senior Manchester City official had assured him he would be paid his dues once he was cleared of all charges.
In the witness statement, the now 30-year-old said that the Premier League champions haven't apologized to him or admitted their mistakes which 'cost him everything'.
"At no point have Manchester City apologized to me or even acknowledged how their actions almost cost me everything," Mendy said in the witness statement via NDTV.
He called for the club to pay him the wages he was due if he was not charged.
"I believe that it is fair and just for me to be paid the wages that I would have earned but for being falsely arrested for crimes that I did not commit," Mendy added.
Manchester City's lawyer Sean Jones KC said (via Sky Sports) that Mendy's behavior of womanizing, partying, and breaking lockdown restrictions and bail conditions created a "moral hazard" for the club. He added that the club is justified in not paying their former employee.