Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada dragged into Benjamin Mendy’s Manchester City court stand-off | OneFootball

Former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has brought up Omar Berrada and Khaldoon Al Mubarak into his court stand-off with the Premier League champions.

The France defender is currently in the process of claiming a fee in excess of £11.5 million in unpaid wages from when he was first charged back in August 2021 and suspended without pay by his former employers Manchester City.

The 30-year-old went on to be cleared in mid-2023 following a series of rape and attempted rape charges that were made against him, whilst Manchester City had originally continued to pay Mendy after his first arrest in November 2020.

However, the club subsequently argued they did not have to after he was charged as his bail conditions – one of which prevented him from going near the club’s stadium or training ground – and an FA suspension meant he was not able to perform his contractual duties.

Now, at an employment tribunal that is expected to last two days, Benjamin Mendy has drawn the attentions of those present towards two key officials at Manchester City whom he made contact with over the matter of withheld pay.

Appearing via videolink, Benjamin Mendy has told the employment tribunal that both he and his agent, Mr N’diaye had been assured by Manchester City’s then-chief football operating officer Omar Berrada that he would receive unpaid wages once cleared of the charges.

Mendy is understood to have sent Berrada a WhatsApp message in November 2022, asking if he could confirm in writing that the wages would be paid, with the now-Manchester United CEO not replying to the message, and denying ever having made such an assurance.

Following his acquittal, it is further claimed that Benjamin Mendy sent an email to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, but again received no response.

Benjamin Mendy originally joined Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad from Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco in a £52 million deal back in 2017 and won Premier League titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

The Frenchman’s final appearance for the club would not come until a Premier League outing on 15 August 2021, before leaving the club when his contract expired in June 2023 and now currently plays for French side Lorient.

In January 2023, Benjamin Mendy was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, before going on to be cleared of raping a woman and attempting to rape another in July 2023 at a retrial.