Benjamin Mendy wins court battle against Manchester City over £11m in unpaid wages

By Henry Moore

Manchester City have been ordered to pay ex-player Benjamin Mendy around £8.5m after a court ruled the Premier League side had wrongly stopped his pay.

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The 30-year-old, who left City after facing allegations of sexual assault, took the team to an employment tribunal last month, alleging the club had wrongly stopped his £5000,000-a-month salary.

Mendy was later cleared of all charges against him.

Tribunal Judge Joanne Dunlop ruled on Wednesday that Mr Mendy should be entitled to the majority of his £11 million claim for unauthorised deductions from his wages by the club.

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His claim covered a 22-month period, five of which were when he was in custody for breaching bail conditions and therefore not entitled to pay, the judge ruled.

This means City owe the French defender around £8.5m.

In a 26-page ruling, Judge Dunlop said: "I doubt that quite so much legal expertise and endeavour has ever before been expended in the prosecution and defence of a wages claim brought by a single claimant.

"But then, I am also fairly sure that no other single claimant has ever alleged that sums in the region of £11 million have been deducted from his wages."

Mendy argues he is an innocent man who had his life ruined by false allegations against him.

While City’s lawyers suggest Mendy ignored their advice and brought much of the trouble upon himself.

Judge Dunlop concluded that while both narratives have some validity, Mendy is legally owed the money.

Sean Jones KC, representing the club, told the two-day tribunal the player only had himself to blame for not being paid.

He said Mr Mendy's womanising, partying during the Covid lockdown, and breaking bail conditions led to his arrest and stay in jail.

But Nick De Marco KC, representing Mr Mendy, told the tribunal the case was not about the footballer's lifestyle.

He said: "As a result of allegations that turned out to have all been dismissed, he spent over four months in custody - time he can never get back."

But Nick De Marco KC, representing Mr Mendy, told the tribunal the case was not about the footballer's lifestyle.

He said: "As a result of allegations that turned out to have all been dismissed, he spent over four months in custody - time he can never get back."

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 led to a retrial after which Mr Mendy was found not guilty of one charge of rape and one charge of attempted rape.