Manchester City asked to pay most of Benjamin Mendy’s unpaid wages

According to a decision made by a judge in England on Wednesday, it was stated that former Manchester City football player Benjamin Mendy should be paid the majority of the £ 11.5 million ($15 million) salary deducted by the club after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in 2021.

The former France international, who earns £500,000 a month from the English Premier League Champions, took his case to the employment tribunal last month.

Mendy claimed he was assured by a senior club official that he would receive his outstanding wages once he was cleared of the charges.

The 30-year-old defender, who currently plays for French Ligue 2 club Lorient, was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in January 2023, but the same jury could not reach a verdict on another count of sexual assault. rape and one count of attempted rape.

Following a retrial, Mendy was found not guilty of both charges.

Employment judge Joanne Dunlop said in her ruling that she concluded Mendy “was entitled to recover some, but not all, of the amounts claimed”.

Mendy said he was “ready and willing” to work while not in custody.

He added that under these circumstances and “in the absence of any authority in the contract for the employer to deduct his salary, he is entitled to receive payment.”

Welcoming the decision, Mendy said he was “satisfied”.

He said he hoped “the club will now act honorably and pay the outstanding amounts so that I can put this difficult part of my life behind me.”

Mendy spent two periods in custody, accounting for around five months of the 22-month period covered by his claim, meaning the amount owed is likely to be around £8.5 million.

According to court documents, Mendy “ran out of money very quickly” due to non-payment of wages, forcing him to sell his £4.8 million mansion to cover legal fees, bills and alimony payments.

The exact amount he will receive will be calculated by Mendy and the club, or by the court if an agreement cannot be reached.

The club continued to pay Mendy’s wages following his initial arrest in November 2020.

However, they argued that this was not necessary after he was charged due to bail conditions and that the suspension from the Football Association meant he could not fulfill his duties as a player.

Disclaimer: This story was published from a news agency feed with minimal editing to comply with WION’s style guide. The title may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or make it more suitable for WION’s audience.