Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has made reference to the club’s ongoing 115 charges involving the Premier League as part of a witness statement.
The 30-year-old is currently in the process of claiming £11.5 million in unpaid wages from when he was first charged back in August 2021 and suspended without pay by reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City.
Benjamin Mendy was ultimately cleared in 2023 of a series of rape and attempted rape charges made against him, while City had originally continued to pay the defender after his first arrest in November 2020.
However, beyond then, Manchester City argued they did not have to pay his salary agreement after he was charged as his bail conditions and a Football Association suspension meant he was not able to perform his contractual duties.
Now, as part of his witness statement in front of an employment tribunal, Mendy has admitted his surprise at Manchester City’s behaviour over his salary being upheld given the club’s ongoing issues involving the Premier League.
“I would have thought that Manchester City, of all clubs, would appreciate the lack of control and anger that a person or entity has with being charged with false allegations given the Premier League allegations that they are facing,” Mendy’s statement said.
The Frenchman continued, “At no point have Manchester City apologised to me or even acknowledged how their actions almost cost me everything.
“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.”
Benjamin Mendy first joined Manchester City from AS Monaco in a £52 million deal in 2017 and won Premier League titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021, while his final appearance for the club was in the English top-flight on 15 August 2021.
Mendy eventually left Manchester City when his contract expired in June 2023 and currently plays for French side Lorient, hoping to revive his top-level professional playing career following years of uncertainty over his future prospects.
The tribunal hearing involving Benjamin Mendy and Manchester City is expected to last two days.
