England: French footballer Benjamin Mendy accused of rape and sexual assault

Europe 1 with AFP 6:57 p.m., August 26, 2021

French Manchester City international defender Benjamin Mendy, 27, is accused of four rapes and one sexual assault allegedly taking place between October 2020 and August 2021, English police said on Thursday.

"Mendy was remanded in custody, pending his presentation in court in Chester on Friday August 27," Cheshire police in north-west England said in a statement, adding that three people were at the origin of the complaint. 

Suspended by his club during the investigation

A few minutes before the police announced the subject of the complaint, the Manchester City club, where he has played since 2017, announced the player's suspension, without revealing the subject of the investigation of which he was the target. "Manchester City can confirm that after his indictment by the police today, Benjamin Mendy was suspended for the duration of the investigation," write the Citizens in a statement. "The case is the subject of legal proceedings and the club cannot, for this reason, make any other comments, until it is completed," adds the Mancunian club.

To recruit Mendy, revealed in Marseille, City had paid 52 million pounds, or nearly 60 million euros, to snatch him after only one season in Monaco, making at the time the young French left-back the most defender dear to history. But his career has since been punctuated by injuries, like his cruciate ligament rupture in 2017, forcing Mendy to spend more time treating his knees and muscle ailments than kicking a ball. He also delighted the tabloids when his

, worth more than 500,000 million euros, in the fall of 2020, which he was driving without a license or insurance. He finally pleaded guilty and was fined just over 1,000 euros.