SPORTS

Acquittal for Former Manchester City Star Benjamin Mendy in Rape Trial

Published

3 years ago

14/07/2023

Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror

The 28-year-old was accused of attacking a 24-year-old woman at his £4m mansion in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire in October 2020.Mr Mendy was also accused of the attempted rape of another woman, aged 29, who said he had also molested her at his home two years before.It comes after he was cleared of six rapes at an earlier trial in January.

The France international broke down in tears as the not-guilty verdicts were read out by the jury foreman following a three-week trial at Chester Crown Court. The jury of six men and six women deliberated for about three hours and 15 minutes before reaching their conclusion. Judge Steven Everett said: “Mr Mendy can be discharged from the dock.”

The footballer, whose contract with Manchester City expired this month, was cleared at the earlier trial of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, relating to four young women or teenagers. But jurors failed to reach verdicts on two counts of rape and attempted rape, prompting a re-trial.

Benjamin Aina KC, prosecuting, claimed he had enjoyed parties at his home and on two occasions “took advantage” of female guests, while his wealth and celebrity status turned him into a man not used to being told “no”.The first complainant, woman A, a 29-year-old student, first met Mr Mendy while in a nightclub in Barcelona in late 2017 and she became intimate with one of his friends, the trial was told.

They kept in touch and a year later she arranged to visit Mr Mendy’s friend at the footballer’s house, where they stayed after they all went with other girls for a night out. The woman told the jury that the morning after, when she took a shower in the en-suite bathroom, Mr Mendy appeared uninvited, wearing just boxer shorts, and he was visibly “aroused”.

She alleged Mr Mendy then grabbed her and tried to rape her on the bed, despite her repeatedly telling him to stop. Mr Mendy told the jury the two were “flirting” during the night out and the next morning he went to her room and they began hugging on a bed. He said she told him she would not have sex with him because she was with his friend.

Mr Mendy said she then got upset when he told her he had already asked his friend who had told him it would be “OK”.He denied trying to rape her. Another complainant, woman B, told the trial she was out with friends at a bar in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, near Mr Mendy’s home when they were invited back to the footballer’s house in 2019.

The 24-year-old alleged Mr Mendy took her phone from her, which contained “intimate” photos, then led her to his locked bedroom, as she asked for her phone back. She told the jury Mr Mendy told her “I just wanna have a look at you” and told her to take her clothes off, which she did.

She said he threw her phone on the bed and when she went to retrieve it he raped her despite her telling him she did not want to have sex. The woman told the trial that afterwards Mr Mendy said to her: “You’re too shy. It’s fine. I’ve had sex with 10,000 women.”

Mr Mendy told the jury the woman had agreed to “play around” on the bed and denied raping her saying afterwards they swapped details to connect on Snapchat. Mr Aina, prosecuting, claimed Mr Mendy was not used to women saying no to him. He said: “You wanted women who came to your house to party, get drunk and have sex?”

Mr Mendy replied: “If they want.”I will never force to have sex with a woman.”After the hearing, his solicitor, Jenny Wiltshire, said: “Benjamin Mendy would like to thank the members of the jury for focussing on the evidence in this trial, rather than on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset.

“This is the second time that Mr Mendy has been tried and found not guilty by a jury. He is delighted that both juries reached the correct verdicts.”She said Mr Mendy had “tried to remain strong” but the process had “inevitably had a serious impact on him”.He now wanted to ask for his privacy to be respected “so he can begin rebuilding his life,” Ms Wiltshire added.

NEWS

ZIFA hands Warriors to Spain’s Ramón Catalá in sweeping national teams shake-up

Spaniard Ramón Catalá has been unveiled as Warriors head coach, with Croatian Stella Gotal taking the Mighty Warriors, as ZIFA restructures coaching across all national teams.

Published

4 days ago

25/08/2026

AIZ News Editor

The Zimbabwe Football Association has appointed Spaniard Ramón Catalá as head coach of the Warriors, the centrepiece of a sweeping technical restructuring that has put new coaches in charge of the country’s men’s, women’s and junior national teams.

The 65-year-old was presented in Harare on Thursday by ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi. Catalá’s coaching career includes a spell with Dynamo Kyiv’s academy in Ukraine and national-team experience in Libya, where he briefly took charge of the senior side, according to CAJ News and NewZimbabwe.

He will be assisted by fellow Spaniard Marc Sánchez, who doubles as head coach of the Under-23 side, and CAPS United coach Takesure Chiragwi. Catalá takes over from Kaitano Tembo, whose interim spell in charge has ended and who has been handed the Under-20 men’s team.

In the women’s game, Croatian Stella Gotal was named head coach of the Mighty Warriors as part of the same round of appointments.

The appointments come as Zimbabwe prepares for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, and ZIFA has framed the restructuring as part of its longer-term development project aimed at building a coaching pathway from junior football to the senior teams.

“These appointments are not just for immediate results but we want to build towards our Dream 2030 Vision which we recently launched,” Magwizi said, quoted by NewZimbabwe. “We also want our football to have an identity, that can only happen if we have proper football structures from developmental level to senior level.”

Catalá’s first task will be assembling a squad capable of competing in the AFCON qualifiers, where the Warriors will be looking to improve on a frustrating recent record in continental qualification.

Sources: NewZimbabwe, CAJ News Africa, Soccer24.

NEWS

Six Highlanders fans killed in crash on way home from Barbourfields win

Six Highlanders supporters died when their kombi hit a tipper truck near Filabusi as they returned from Sunday’s 2-0 win over Herentals, the club and fire officials confirmed.

Published

4 days ago

25/08/2026

AIZ News Editor

Six Highlanders supporters were killed on Sunday when the kombi they were travelling in crashed into the back of a tipper truck near Filabusi, as they returned home from watching their team beat Herentals 2-0 at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo.

Bulawayo Chief Fire Officer Mhlangano Moyo, quoted by the Herald, said the Nissan NV350 kombi was carrying 10 passengers when it rammed the rear of the truck in the Amazon area, about 15 kilometres before Filabusi. Six people died at the scene, he said, while the occupants of the tipper truck escaped without injury. An Insiza Rural District Council-trained rescue team helped extricate those trapped in the wreckage.

Accounts of the injured differ slightly. Moyo said four people were hurt, while Highlanders said in a statement that four of the injured had been admitted to Filabusi Hospital and another was in a critical condition at United Bulawayo Hospitals.

The club confirmed the deaths in a statement issued on Monday, saying the supporters “travelled in the true spirit of Highlanders, with love, loyalty and pride for the Club” and were part of its “100-year family”. It extended condolences to the bereaved families and thanked police, emergency services and the two hospitals for responding swiftly.

The fans had watched Highlanders’ Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Matchday 28 victory over Herentals before setting off for Filabusi.

The tragedy deepens a devastating year for the Bulawayo club. In July, chairman Retired Colonel Kenneth Mhlophe, vice-chairman Sifiso Siziba and treasurer Nkani Khoza were killed in a car crash, and the club has also mourned the recent death of long-serving board member and patron Jimmy Ncube.

Sources: Highlanders FC statement via Soccer24; The Herald/Chronicle.

SPORTS

National Sports Stadium wins CAF Category 3 approval after five-year ban

The Ministry of Sport says CAF has granted the National Sports Stadium Category 3 approval, clearing Harare to host AFCON and World Cup qualifiers for the first time since 2021.

Published

7 days ago

22/08/2026

AIZ News Editor

The National Sports Stadium in Harare has been granted Confederation of African Football Category 3 approval, clearing it to host international matches for the first time in five years.

The Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture announced the decision on Friday, saying it followed a recent CAF technical inspection and significant progress on priority works at the venue.

“The approval allows the National Sports Stadium, subject to the specific requirements of each competition, to host CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup Group Stage and Quarter-final matches, as well as Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA World Cup qualifiers and other competitions applicable to Category 3 stadia,” the ministry said in its statement.

It added that CAF had “acknowledged the considerable efforts made by the Government of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Football Association in addressing the observations raised during the inspection”, and had encouraged Zimbabwe to keep up the momentum and finish the remaining priority works.

The ground was declared unfit for international football and Zimbabwe last hosted a FIFA-sanctioned match there in 2021. Since then the Warriors have played their home fixtures at venues outside the country, an arrangement that has denied the squad a home crowd and denied supporters at home the chance to watch the national side in person.

The clearance is expected to allow the Warriors to return to Harare for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September, though the ministry’s statement did not confirm specific fixtures.

The ministry credited Sakunda Holdings with contributing to the refurbishment, saying its partnership with government had helped modernise the pitch and install bucket seats. It framed the wider rehabilitation programme as part of the National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030 infrastructure agenda, and appealed to supporters, businesses, sporting organisations and the media to back further work at the stadium.

Sources: Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture statement, as reported by NewZimbabwe.com and ZimEye