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Benjamin Mendy has won the majority of his £11m claim against Manchester City for unpaid wages after the club stopped paying his salary when he was charged with rape and sexual assault.
The 30-year-old took the club to an employment tribunal after his £500,000 per month wage was withheld by the club in 2021. The French international and World Cup winner was later cleared of all charges after two trials.
Mr Mendy, who now plays for French Ligue 2 club Lorient, made a claim against Man City for “unauthorised deductions” from wages.
Tribunal Judge Joanne Dunlop on Wednesday ruled Mr Mendy should be entitled to the majority of his £11 million claim for unauthorised deductions from his wages by the club.
She ruled Man City were entitled to withhold Mendy‘s money when he was remanded in custody due to breaching bail conditions.
During the periods when Mr Mendy was not in custody, he was also unable to fulfil his job, the judge found, primarily because he had been suspended by the Football Association (FA).
Judge Dunlop ruled the nature of that suspension was “precautionary” and there were no findings of misconduct made by the FA.
She concluded the suspension was therefore an impediment to him fulfilling his contract to train and play for Man City, which was “involuntary” or “unavoidable” on Mendy‘s part.
She said Mr Mendy‘s bail conditions were influenced, at least indirectly, by the FA suspension, and were themselves an involuntary or unavoidable impediment.
The club were therefore not entitled to withhold his pay and his contract with Man City contained no provision allowing them to withhold wages where an FA suspension and/or bail prevented him from playing football.
After his suspension, the tribunal heard that Mr Mendy “very quickly ran out of money” and had to sell his £4.8 million Cheshire mansion to cover legal fees, bills and child support payments after his wages were withheld.
Mr Mendy said his agent, Meissa N’diaye, paid towards his legal fees, while teammates including England international Sterling offered “financial support”.
“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 in his witness statement.
The left-back described his 2021 charging as the day “my life was turned upside down forever.”
Mr Mendy 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 rape and one count of attempted rape.
It saw a retrial and Mendy was found not guilty of one charge of rape and one charge of attempted rape.
In April, a High Court tax debt case against Mr Mendy was dismissed after he paid a £700,000 bill.
The total amount Mr Mendy is entitled to is yet to be agreed by his lawyers and Man City.
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