Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has launched a multi-million-pound case against the club at an employment tribunal for claiming unauthorised income deductions while facing criminal accusations.
According to Sky Sports, the 29-year-old, who presently plays for Lorient in France, alleges City stopped paying him in September 2021 after he was accused of rape and sexual assault. Mendy was acquitted in both trials this year.
His lawyer, Nick De Marco, indicated that he will file a lawsuit to recover all outstanding salaries until his City contract terminated in June 2023. The Premier League champions are accused of withholding compensation for nearly two years while the proceedings were pending.
Mendy became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined City from Monaco for £52 million in 2017. He won three league titles but last played in August 2021, soon before his arrest.
The statement from former Manchester City player legal team said he was paid nothing over 21 months until his deal ended, despite being cleared of all counts. It argues City was not contractually entitled to impose such a lengthy wage suspension.
“Nick De Marco KC (instructed by Laffer Abogados (Madrid)) is acting for the former Manchester City player Benjamin Mendy in a multi-million-pound claim for unauthorised deductions from wages.
“Manchester City FC failed to pay Mr. Mendy any wages at all from September 2021, following Mr Mendy being charged with various offences, all of which he was subsequently acquitted of, until the end of his contract in June 2023. The claim will come before an employment tribunal,” the statement read.
