Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba has called for Benjamin Mendy's name to be ‘cleaned’ after being cleared of all criminal charges.
The former Manchester City defender has been found not guilty of one count of attempted rape and a second charge of rape by a jury of six men and six women at Chester Crown Court following a retrial. It brings to an end a long process for the Frenchman after initially being charged in August 2021.
Pogba, a teammate of Mendy’s on the international stage for France, has since sent a message on Instagram following the verdict. He shared an image of the two 2018 World Cup winners involved in a FaceTime call.
A caption accompanying the post read: “Al Hamdulilah [praise be to God in Arabic]. So happy for you bro…all the people that was talking bad about you now I wanna see them cleaning your name.
“Can’t wait to see you on the pitch again,” it read, alongside a praising and a hand signifying the number one emoji. The post was liked by Pogba’s former Man United teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka and also ex-Chelsea and current AC Milan star Fikayo Tomori.
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Pogba wasn’t the only player to release their thoughts on the verdict on Mendy. Another former Red Devil, Memphis Depay also called for support for the left-back following his acquittal.
Taking to Twitter alongside a picture of Mendy, the Dutch forward wrote: “Benjamin Mendy. All cases dismissed. So what are we doing now? Who is going to help this brother heal?
Paul Pogba shared an image of him video-calling Benjamin Mendy (@paulpogba/Instagram)
Paul Pogba is now back with Italian giants Juventus (Getty Images)“Who’s going to be responsible for the damage on his name? How he’s going to have he’s career back? Many years of investment to become a professional football player…. Now what!?
“I’ve never touched on this subject because I didn’t know all the details, but I’ve spoken to him once through FaceTime while behind bars and faced him on the pitch a couple times.. I didn’t see any evil in the man.
“We can’t accept this to happen to us as athletes.. Who’s going to stand up for us in the time of need not when the damage is already done? Don’t turn your head people. @benmendy23.”
Meanwhile, Jenny Wiltshire, who is the head of serious and general crime at Hickman & Rose, gave a statement after the verdict was reached. She admitted to her delight at the defender being found not guilty, whilst she also took time to thank members of the jury for “focusing on the evidence” rather than “on the rumour and innuendo that have followed this case from the outset.”
Mendy’s contract with Man City expired earlier this summer and he has yet to confirm whether he will return to the pitch in the future.
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