File photo dated 15-08-2021 of Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy. Issue date: Thursday August 26, 2021.
Mendy started playing for Manchester City back in 2017 when he signed a six-year contract with them which expired recently in June 2023.
After struggling with the ongoing investigation of Mendy’s multiple charges of rape and sexual assault against four women since 2020, Mendy has finally been proven as not guilty in Chester Crown Court in England.
When the charges originally became known back in 2020 after a woman claimed that Mendy had raped her, he had been arrested. However, he was released shortly before getting arrested again in January 2021 after another woman came forward with accusations of sexual assault.
Mendy was then out on bail, however, that freedom was also short-lived as he went to prison again in August 2021. After that set of events, Mendy was suspended from his football club indefinitely and eventually was let go when his contract with them expired.
When Mendy was initially suspended from Manchester City in 2021, they released a statement, “Manchester City can confirm that following his being charged by police today, Benjamin Mendy has been suspended pending an investigation. The matter is subject to a legal process and the club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete.”
The first woman was a 29-year-old who shared a mutual friend with Mendy. The two first met at a nightclub in 2017 in Barcelona where the woman got close to Mendy’s friend. After a year of keeping contact, the woman was going to meet Mendy’s friend at Mendy’s home.
The hangout turned into a sleepover along with some other friends. The woman claimed that the next morning, Mendy tried to forcefully grab her and attempt to rape her in his bedroom despite her telling him to stop.
The second incident allegedly occurred in 2020. The second woman was 24 years old, and she recounted that she had been hanging out at a bar near Mendy’s home with her friends. After she met Mendy, she accepted his offer of going back to his place.
After reaching there, Mendy took the woman’s phone which had some intimate pictures of her and lured her to his bedroom which was locked after. As she attempted to retrieve her phone from him, he grabbed and molested her.
Upon hearing these accusations, Mendy denied both accounts in court and claimed that while he did get intimate with the two, he didn’t forcibly do anything with them.
The jury of twelve people took all evidence into account and came to a decision after spending around three hours discussing everything. Mendy was overjoyed as he wept in the courtroom after hearing the decision from the jury. Mendy’s lawyer also shed some light upon Mendy’s struggle and hardship for the past few years.
She said, “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focusing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumor and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset. In the three years since the police started investigating this matter, Mr. Mendy has tried to remain strong, but the process has inevitably had a serious impact on him.”
Mendy refused to share any comments in this situation, however, his lawyer expressed that he is indeed quite delighted and spoke on his behalf. She said, “He thanks everyone who has supported him throughout this ordeal and now asks for privacy so he can begin rebuilding his life.”
After receiving this good news, Mendy plans to re-establish his career and go back to his old life. While he has asked for privacy, people will continue to speculate what Mendy plans to do next.
Mendy has become a victim of the soccer summer transfer rumours and could possibly transfer to a football club in Saudi Arabia. As many renowned football players have moved to Saudi Arabia after being bought out by the Saudi Arabian football clubs, this seems like a reasonable option for Mendy.
Another route Mendy could take would be to stay in Manchester City. Even though his contract with them expired, he may feel that his abrupt exit from the club may have hindered any future success he would have had if he stayed.
If none of that works out, Mendy could think about going back to his roots and moving back to his hometown in France. As this has been a trying time for him, he could use this break and refresh his mind in the environment he feels most comfortable in.
Of course, he has several other options as well to do what he wants. While Mendy has some important decisions to make about his career, he is surely glad that this part of his life is over.
