Ex Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy won a crucial legal battle against the club over the non-payment of his wages on the 6th of November 2024. As for the award of wages, the tribunal concluded that most of Mendy’s claim is payable and equates to £11,407,134 (approximately $14 million). This ruling comes after a rocky time for Mendy, who has been arrested for several serious criminal charges but was acquitted of all.
Background of the Case
Benjamin Mendy had transferred to Manchester City from AS Monaco in the year 2017 and etched his mark in the team. However, his career moved to the worse side when he was charged with multiple rapes and sexual assault in August 2021. After these charges, Mendy was taken into custody and Manchester City stopped paying him, saying that they were within their rights to do so given the ongoing legal action against him.
For the rape charges, Mendy had a six-month trial, in which he was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. On two other charges, the jury was unable to agree, and a retrial was ordered, in which he was acquitted. During this episode, Mendy defended himself by claiming that these acts were consensual and that the women falsely accused him.
The Tribunal’s Decision
The employment tribunal, presided over by Judge Joanne Dunlop, evaluated the situation that led to Mendy’s suspension and the club’s action to deduct payment of his wages. For some periods, Manchester City was able to refrain from paying Benjamin Mendy on the grounds of the absence due to his custody; however, they were wrong in regard to the failure to pay him during the time when he could not play because of his suspension by FA.
The judge said,
“There was no provision in the contract between Mendy and City to allow the club to deny him his wages if suspended by the English Football Association or any conditions of bail not allowing him to play”
This decision brings to light some reasons as to why the law is rather ambiguous when it comes to employment contracts in sporting activities, especially when there are extra legal issues involved regarding contract provisions.
Before getting involved in the legal missteps, the man was a famous player who had speed and unique skills on the field. Manchester City benefited from him during his tenure, where he featured for the team seventy-five times. However, injuries and legal problems have played greatly on the aspect of his career progress.
After being cleared in the court, Benjamin Mendy joined Lorient, which was another turn in the life of this footballer. He welcomed the ruling of the tribunal; he said he is happy and ready to go back to work and pursue his career.
Issues that arise out of this case are the appropriate management of players in legal problems and the appropriate roles that clubs have to play fulfilling the contractual obligations. The case sets the benchmark for how clubs could potentially deal with similar matters and, specifically, the issue of players being paid or not in the light of legal processes.
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Conclusion
The unpaid wages case that Benjamin Mendy recently won against Manchester City is an important occurrence in sports law. It captures the legal challenges which athletes go through any time a legal question comes into light and the need to have contractual provisions. This one not only affects Mendy’s financial future but also defines how clubs handle such matters in the future as he progresses in his career.
