French Defender Benjamin Mendy Wins £11m Unpaid Wages Battle with Man City

French defender Benjamin Mendy has won his legal battle against his former club, Manchester City, over the majority of his unpaid wages while he faced rape charges.

Mendy was cleared last year of raping a woman at his £4 million mansion and attempting to rape another woman following a high-profile trial.

In 2021, City suspended Mendy’s £500,000-a-month salary after his second arrest.

Mendy, who joined City for £49 million from Monaco in 2017, took the Premier League champions to an employment tribunal, claiming “unauthorized deductions” from his wages. He has now won the fight for most of his unpaid salary.

Mendy’s claim was for around £11 million before tax. The tribunal’s verdict means he will be entitled to the majority of this amount, although not the full sum, as he spent approximately five months in custody during the 22 months covered by the claim.

The exact amount he is owed will either be agreed upon by the parties involved or decided in a future hearing if an agreement cannot be reached.

The tribunal heard that Manchester City continued to pay Mendy after his first arrest in November 2020, but changed their position when he was re-arrested the following year.

Mendy’s contract included additional bonuses, such as a £900,000 payment for appearing in 60 percent of matches, a £1 million bonus if City qualified for the Champions League, and an annual £1.2 million payment to his image rights company, in addition to his regular salary.

After being charged, Mendy was informed by City officials that they would stop paying his salary, as he was “not presently ready and able to perform the obligations of his contract.”

Mendy claims that then-chief operating officer Omar Berrada assured him he would receive his wages once acquitted. However, the tribunal heard that Mendy received no response from Berrada or chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak when he reached out for clarification on the matter.

Mendy revealed in court that his then-City teammates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez provided financial support while his wages were withheld. Mendy also stated that he was forced to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover his legal fees, bills, and child support payments.

City, however, argued in court that Mendy had only himself to blame for the situation, citing reports that the left-back had thrown parties at his mansion during lockdown and had breached his bail conditions.

Sean Jones KC, who represented City, said: ‘The essence of the submission by Mr Mendy is that his contract creates a moral hazard.

‘He says “I can behave as irresponsibly as I like, I can ignore all the rules, both legal, of the club and common sense to the point where my behaviour results in prison”.

‘He is trying to make a moral hazard into a virtue. He says “It should in no way affect my entitlement to pay. There should be no consequences to my behaviour”.’

Mendy now plays for Lorient in Ligue 2, having returned to France last year following the expiry of his City contract. He had not played for Manchester City since August 2021, when the rape allegations were first made against him.