Man City must pay the majority of Benjamin Mendy’s unpaid wages

Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy should get most of the £11.5 million ($15 million) in wages withheld by the club after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in 2021, according to a ruling by a British judge Wednesday.

The ex-France international, who had earned £500,000 a month with the English Premier League Champions, took his case to an employment tribunal last month.

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

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

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

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

She said that although Mendy was not in custody, he was “ready and willing” to work.

In those circumstances and in the absence of “any authorization in the contract for the employer to withhold wages, he was entitled to wages”, she added.

Mendy welcomed the ruling, saying he was “delighted”.

He said he hoped the “club will now do the honorable thing and pay the outstanding monies… so I can put this difficult part of my life behind me”.

Mendy spent two periods in custody, covering 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 tribunal documents, Mendy “ran out of money very quickly” as a result of failing to pay his wages, forcing him to sell his £4.8 million mansion to cover legal costs, bills and child support.

The exact amount he will now receive will be calculated by Mendy and the club – or by the tribunal if they cannot reach an agreement.

The club continued to pay Mendy’s salary after his first arrest in November 2020.

But they argued this was not necessary after he was charged over his bail conditions and a ban from the Football Association meant he could not carry out his duties as a player.

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