French player Benjamin Mendy, acquitted by British courts last week of all sexual assault allegations against him, has signed with Lorient for the next two seasons, the club announced. Ligue 1 this Wednesday (19).
“After undergoing medical examinations, Benjamin Mendy (…) will reinforce Lorient’s squad for this new season”, says the note published on the French club’s website.
Mendy, 29, has not played since August 2021, when his former team Manchester City, suspended him after the multiple accusations of sexual assault. The English club also did not renew the player’s contract, which ended on June 30 of this year.
The arrival of Benjamin Mendy, new number 5⃣ of the Merlus 🟠⚫️ pic.twitter.com/c6z8GaAgxs
– FC LORIENT 🐟 (@FCLorient) July 19, 2023
Mendy, world champion with France in 2018, was found not guilty by UK justice last Friday in a case in which he was accused of rape and attempted rape, five months after he was acquitted of six other charges of sexual assault.
The player had been on trial again since the end of June for two charges on which the jury had not reached an agreement at the end of the first process.
Mendy was arrested in August 2021 and spent over four months in pre-trial detention, before being released in January 2022 to await trial on parole.
Revealed by Le Havre, the player stood out for Olympique de Marseille and Monaco and was signed by City in 2017 as the most expensive defender in history, in a transaction of 52 million pounds (R$ 325 million at current quotations).
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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