Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy says he was lent money by his then team-mates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez when the club stopped paying him after he was charged with rape and sexual assault, an employment tribunal has heard.
The France defender is claiming £11.5m in unpaid wages from when he was charged in August 2021 and suspended without pay by City.
Mendy, 30, was cleared in 2023 of a series of rape and attempted rape charges made against him.
The club continued paying Mendy after his first arrest in November 2020, but argued they did not have to after he was charged as his bail conditions – one of which prevented him from going near the club’s stadium or training ground – and a Football Association suspension meant he was not able to perform his contractual duties.
Court documents said Mendy “very quickly ran out of money” and had to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover legal fees, bills and child support payments after his wages were withheld.
“Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez all lent me money to help me try and pay my legal fees and support my family,” Mendy said in his witness statement.
In November 2022, Mendy sent a Whatsapp message to Omar Berrada, who was City’s Chief Football Operations’ Officer from September 2020 to July 2024, to ask when he would receive his outstanding salaries but received no reply.
Mendy’s agent Meissa N’Diaye, who also spoke at the hearing, said on 20 September 2021 he spoke to Berrada and was told “once the trial was over Benjamin would be paid back all the salary that had been suspended”.
Berrada, who is now Manchester United’s chief executive, denied giving assurances when asked about this at the hearing.
The hearing also addressed how on 15 separate occasions Mendy either held or attended parties in breach of Covid-19 or bail conditions, or both.
Under questioning from City’s counsel Sean Jones, Mendy admitted his behaviour in continuing to hold parties represented “a risk”.
When Jones said to Mendy: “The truth is you couldn’t care less it exposed you to risk,” the full-back replied via videolink: “At the time, yes.”
In statements submitted to the court, Mendy said he felt he had been singled out by City as “several first-team players, including the club captain, had attended the parties I had attended and hosted” without repercussions.
Mendy said he rejected an offer to cancel his contract because he “wanted to go back and train with his team”.
In his witness statement, he added: “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 joined City from Monaco in a £52m deal in 2017 and won Premier League titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
His final appearance for the club was in the Premier League on 15 August 2021.
Mendy left City when his contract expired in June 2023 and currently plays for French side Lorient.
Mendy was remanded in custody for five months before he was released on bail in January 2022. The case went to trial for the first time in August 2022.
In January 2023 he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
He was then cleared of raping a woman and attempting to rape another in July 2023 at a retrial.
The tribunal hearing is expected to last two days.
Author: Mujuni Henry
JUNIITV
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