Benjamin Mendy, the former defender for Manchester City, has named the three teammates who gave him loans so he could pay child support after the team withheld his earnings.
The former France international defender is currently suing Manchester City for £11.5 million in unpaid wages since he was first accused in August 2021 and placed on unpaid leave.
Following a slew of rape and attempted rape claims against him, the now 30-year-old was finally exonerated of all charges in 2023. He then went on to resume playing professionally in the French game.
It has come to light that although City kept paying Mendy following his initial arrest in November 2020, they had argued that they were not required to do so after he was charged because he was unable to fulfil his contractual obligations due to bail conditions, including one that forbade him from approaching the club’s stadium or training facility, and an FA suspension.
After his pay cheques were withheld, Mendy “very quickly ran out of money,” according to court filings, and had to sell his Cheshire property to pay for bills, legal fees, and child support.
Three Manchester City players who helped him pay child support after the club withheld his wages after he was charged in 2021 were named by Benjamin Mendy in a witness statement given to an employment tribunal.
According to the Evening Standard, Benjamin Mendy disclosed, “I felt terrible and found it difficult to pay my child support.”
“I tried to pay my legal fees and support my family with the help of money that Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez all lent me,” he added.
Mendy has also claimed that, in addition to the assistance from his former Manchester City teammates, his agent, Meissa N’diaye, covered his legal costs.
Benjamin Mendy won Premier League titles in all three of the 2017–2018, 2018–2019, and 2020–2021 seasons after first joining Manchester City for £52 million from Ligue 1 team AS Monaco in 2017.
Mendy played in the Premier League on August 15, 2021, his last game for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. He stayed with the team until his contract expired in June 2023, and he presently plays for Lorient in France.
The anticipated duration of the tribunal hearing is two days.