How Benjamin Mendy’s salary row with Man City was settled at tribunal in player’s favour

• Benjamin Mendy has won a tribunal against Manchester City to reclaim part of his unpaid wages, withheld during his trial for rape charges 
• Mendy argued the club made “unauthorised deductions” from his £500,000-a-month salary, a claim upheld by the tribunal
• The tribunal ruled in Mendy's favour, though final compensation is still under negotiation 

In a victory that has brought up discussions about player rights, former Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has won the legal battle against his club to reclaim a large portion of his withheld salary during his recent trial on rape charges, from which he was fully acquitted. 

This tribunal case comes on the heels of nearly three years of legal scrutiny and career disruption for the 29-year-old French international. Mendy, who originally filed for an approximate £11 million in withheld wages, successfully argued that City had made “unauthorised deductions” from his salary following his arrest.

The dispute centres on City’s decision to suspend Mendy’s £500,000-a-month pay in 2021 after his re-arrest. Manchester City claimed Mendy was “not presently ready and able to perform the obligations of his contract” and, as a result, did not continue his salary payments. 

Previously, Mendy had been receiving his full pay following his initial arrest in November 2020. Mendy’s legal team argued that City had no contractual grounds to halt his earnings, claiming it violated the terms of his contract.

During the tribunal, it emerged that Manchester City's former Chief Operating Officer, Omar Berrada, allegedly assured Mendy that his salary would resume should he be acquitted. Despite reaching out for clarification after his trial, Mendy reportedly received no further communication from Berrada or City Chief Executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

During this challenging period, Mendy disclosed that his former teammates Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Riyad Mahrez supported him financially, and he was even forced to sell his house to cover legal and personal expenses. 

City’s legal representative, Sean Jones KC, argued that Mendy’s behaviour, including holding parties during lockdown and allegedly breaching bail conditions, was irresponsible and merited the suspension of pay, 

“The essence of the submission by Mr. Mendy is that his contract creates a moral hazard, he says, ‘I can behave as irresponsibly as I like… there should be no consequences to my behaviour,’” Jones claimed.

Following the tribunal’s decision, both parties are negotiating the exact payout but if an agreement isn’t reached, a future hearing will finalise the amount. Now with Lorient in France’s Ligue 2, Benjamin Mendy is focusing on rebuilding his career. 

Man City faces uncertain future as Guardiola holds his cards to his chest

Previously, TheRadar reported that Manchester City’s future hangs in the balance as Pep Guardiola talks about the upcoming departure of Txiki Begiristain, the club’s long-serving director of football. 

While Begiristain’s influence will be missed, Guardiola is also facing questions about his own future. With his contract expiring at the end of the current 2024/2025 season, the Spanish manager has hinted at being “closer to leaving than staying” after securing City’s historic fourth consecutive  Premier League title in May.