Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Manchester City

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 May 2022, 22:19
Suspended Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has pleaded not guilty to nine sexual offences at Chester Crown Court.

The left-back was initially charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault back in August 2021 having already made two appearances for Man City that season.

Mendy was immediately suspended by the Premier League champions following the allegations, and numerous new charges followed for the Frenchman in the winter months.

In total, Mendy has been charged with seven counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape against six young women.

The alleged offences are reported to have taken place between October 2018 and August 2021, and he was released on bail ahead of his Crown Court date.

The 27-year-old and co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, aged 40, appeared in the dock at Chester Crown Court on Monday, and both men pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.

Matturie, from Eccles in Salford, is facing a total of 12 charges, including eight counts of rape and four counts of sexual assault against eight young women from July 2012 to August 2021.

Mendy and Matturie are due to appear before a jury on July 25 following their not guilty pleas on Monday, and the two defendants remain on bail.

Prior to being charged by police on August 26, Mendy had played the full 90 minutes against Leicester City in Man City's Community Shield defeat at Wembley on August 7.

The former France international also started and lasted 79 minutes on the opening day of the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur - his most recent match for Pep Guardiola's side - and he was on the bench at home to Norwich City on August 21.

Since arriving in Manchester from Monaco in the summer of 2017, Mendy has gone on to make 75 appearances for the Citizens, scoring two goals and providing 14 assists.

A World Cup winner with France in 2018, the defender has been a part of three Premier League-winning teams, four EFL Cup triumphs and one FA Cup success under Guardiola.

Top News

3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ankaragucu vs. Alanyaspor (Friday, 6.00pm) Ankaragucu will hope to remain clear of the relegation zone when they host Alanyaspor at Eryaman Stadium on Friday evening. 3 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Toulouse vs. Montpellier (Friday, 6.00pm) With their spot amongst France's finest crop secured for a third straight season, Toulouse will welcome an in-form Montpellier HSC side to Stadium de Toulouse on Friday evening in Ligue 1. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion Women will welcome Aston Villa Women to Broadfield Stadium for Sunday's Women's Super League contest. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United must reportedly fend off the threat of two European heavyweights if they are to acquire one of their top defensive targets this summer. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides with contrasting objectives clash in the Turkish Super Lig when Samsunspor host Trabzonspor at the Samsun 19 Mayis Stadyumu on Saturday evening. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A long-serving Liverpool defender is reportedly open to exploring a move away from Anfield this summer alongside Jurgen Klopp. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on bringing a former Arsenal number one back to the Premier League this summer. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sporting Lisbon will be looking to take another step towards securing the Primeira Liga title when they play host to Portimonense at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Saturday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino felt that his players showed the qualities required to improve as a team during their 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Last season's runners-up Fiorentina secured a brilliant 3-2 victory thanks to M'Bala Nzola's 91st-minute winner against Club Brugge after a fascinating first leg. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Last season's runners-up Fiorentina secured a brilliant 3-2 victory thanks to M'Bala Nzola's 91st-minute winner against Club Brugge after a fascinating first leg. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen recorded a 2-0 victory over Roma in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in Italy on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chancel Mbemba cancelled out an opener from Gianluca Scamacca, as Marseille drew 1-1 with Atalanta BC in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final in France on Thursday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea strengthened their hopes of European qualification while inflicting the latest blow on Tottenham Hotspur's top-four bid with a deserved 2-0 win over their London rivals in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Unai Emery has made three changes to his Aston Villa XI for Thursday's Europa Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiacos. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to address their woeful run of form at the end of this campaign, Coventry City will welcome Queens Park Rangers to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday afternoon in the Championship. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Saturday, Everton Ladies will welcome Tottenham Hotspur Ladies to Walton Hall Park for their final home game of the Women's Super League season. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing a point to guarantee their Championship survival, Sheffield Wednesday will head to the Stadium of Light to meet Sunderland on the final day of the season on Saturday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have made five changes for Thursday's Premier League game at Chelsea. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has reportedly picked up a foot injury, which could rule him out of Saturday's La Liga clash against Cadiz. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have received a timely injury boost ahead of Sunday's Premier League showdown with Tottenham Hotspur, as one of their injury victims was pictured in full training on Wednesday. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly planning to offer Crystal Palace the chance to re-sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka as part of a deal which could see Michael Olise move to Old Trafford. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Three days on from their Champions League semi-final first-leg victory in midweek, Borussia Dortmund return to Westfalenstadion to welcome Augsburg for a Bundesliga clash on Saturday afternoon. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh from their Champions League semi-final bout in midweek, Bayern Munich travel to the MHPArena to face Stuttgart in a top-three clash in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Monaco will attempt to tighten their grip on second spot when they face basement side Clermont in Saturday's Ligue 1 fixture at Stade Louis-II. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus has reportedly made a decision on his future at the Emirates amid reports that the Gunners could try to offload him in the upcoming transfer window. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could reportedly let three of their academy products leave the club this summer as a means of raising funds for their pursuit of Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag said that Jadon Sancho demonstrated that he is "a very good player" with his performance for Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic play host to Hearts on Saturday afternoon looking for the win that will move them a step closer to defending their Scottish Premiership title. 2 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Still vying for a place in Europe thanks to their recent revival, Lazio visit mid-table Monza on Saturday evening.