The former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy faced a series of criminal proceedings, with a jury ultimately dropping two rape charges. The proceedings highlighted the complexity of high-profile cases and the careful evaluation of evidence across multiple years. In October 2020, a case involving an attempted rape allegation and a separate rape claim dating back to October 2018 were not pursued to a conviction, and the jury did not find Mendy guilty on those counts. The emotional response in court after the judgment drew attention, as the 28-year-old athlete appeared overwhelmed and shed tears as the decision was delivered.
Over the following years, the legal process continued to unfold with further determinations. In January 2023, the court found Mendy not guilty on seven counts of sexual assault, signaling a formal acquittal on those charges after a lengthy trial. Earlier, in September 2022, he was acquitted of an allegation of attempting to rape a 19-year-old in a case that had involved an incident in July 2021. These outcomes collectively shaped the public record of the case and left the individual’s professional career in a fragile state.
Mendy’s last appearance in a professional match occurred in August 2021, marking the end of his active playing period at the top level before developments in the legal arena influenced the trajectory of his career. The broader story also touched on crowd-related incidents, including reports of confrontations involving CSKA supporters in Kazan, where four fans were arrested after a drunken dispute with a local resident. These events, while part of a separate context, added to the media attention surrounding football personalities and their lives beyond the pitch.