Manchester City have lost their court case against their embattled former star, Benjamin Mendy.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner's case against his former club City over unpaid wages was formally concluded on Wednesday.
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The Employment Tribunal judge, Joanne Dunlop, ruled in favour of Mendy, declaring that the full-back is entitled to a large part of his £11 million (R250 million) claim for "unauthorised deductions from his wages" by the club.
According to Reuters, in a written ruling, the judge said: "The result of this decision is that Mr Mendy will be entitled to receive the majority of his unpaid salary, although not all of it."
Mendy filed the claim in November 2023 after being cleared of multiple rape charges, alleging that City stopped paying him in September 2021 until the end of June 2023, when his contract officially came to an end.
The court heard that the now Lorient FC player relied on his former teammates Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, and Raheem Sterling for some financial support while he wasn't being paid.
The player's lawyers also indicated that Mendy was forced to sell his Cheshire mansion to cover legal fees and child support.
During the legal battle, City argued that Mendy only had himself to blame for behaving irresponsibly, as he reportedly hosted parties at his mansion during lockdown and broke his bail conditions.
Ultimately, the employment judge ruled that City were wrong to withhold Mendy's wages when he was not in police custody, and he is therefore entitled to whatever was owed to him during the subsequent period in which he was serving his suspension from playing in the Premier League due to the rape charges brought against him.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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