The trial of French footballer Benjamin Mendy will begin in July

Manchester City French international defender Benjamin Mendywill face a criminal trial in July for various rapes and assault on six women, after a hearing this Wednesday before a British court.

Mendy, 27, who has been suspended by his club, appeared at a preliminary hearing at Crown Court in Chester, north-west England, on a new charge of attempted rape.

In total, the Frenchman faces nine accusations, seven of them for rape, among which six women are involved.

Judge Patrick Thompson established on July 25 the beginning of the process against Mendy and another defendant, Louis Saha Matturie.

During the hearing, a French interpreter sat between the two defendants and Mendy merely confirmed his identity.

The trial is expected to last up to six weeks. Thompson set another pretrial hearing for March 11.

At the same time, both defendants were released on bail in January, after having been in preventive detention since August.

To sign Mendy, one of the great hopes of French football a few years ago, City paid 60 million euros ($68 million) to Monaco, making him the most expensive defender in history at the time.

His career has been marked by injuries, but he was part of the French team that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia (international 10 times). He has played just 75 games for City in the last four seasons. (D)