Sports
Benjamin Mendy ‘seeking financial compensation’ from Manchester City
According to reports, Benjamin Mendy intends to sue Manchester City for monetary damages.
Mendy signed a two-year contract with Ligue 1 club Lorient last month, barely five days after being exonerated of rape.
The 29-year-old, whose City contract expired in the summer, was cleared of raping a woman and attempting to rape another at Chester Crown Court. Following a trial in January, Mendy was found not guilty of six charges of rape and one count of sexual assault.
When City paid £52 million for Mendy in 2017, he became the world’s most expensive defender. Indeed, City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain referred to him as “one of the world’s best full-backs” at the time.
Mendy went on to win the Premier League in his first season with City before being named to France’s World Cup-winning side in 2018.
His last competitive game, though, came in August 2021 against Tottenham Hotspur. Later that month, the Frenchman was remanded in detention until January 2022, with the first trial scheduled for August of that year.
Mendy ‘seeking compensation’ from Man City
According to the French newspaper L’Equipe, Mendy wants to seek financial compensation from City after being suspended by the Premier League club.
Indeed, according to the newspaper, negotiations between the freshly recruited Lorient defender and his old employers have already begun.
When City suspended Mendy after news of his detention became public in August 2021, his earnings were purportedly frozen by the club.
And, according to L’Equipe, the athlete is pondering how he might recoup all or at least a portion of the suspended pay.
Mendy’s comeback to French football was confirmed last month by Lorient, who finished 10th in Ligue 1.
“Benjamin Mendy, world champion 2018, quadruple Premier League winner with Manchester City and French champion of Ligue 1 with Monaco, comes to reinforce the Lorient workforce for this new season,” the club announced in a statement. “Greetings, Benjamin.”
While the French team is slated to begin their league campaign on 13th August against champions Paris St-Germain, Mendy is not anticipated to be ready in time.
Sports
Black Stars fitness coach Ricky Roy reportedly dead
Romeo Ricky Roy, the fitness coach for Ghana’s senior national team, has died.
According to Ghana Football Association president Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku’s Facebook post, he died in Accra on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Roy joined the Black Stars’ backroom staff in 2021, during Milovan Rajevac’s second spell as coach.
He remained with the national squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the current Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Roy rose to prominence as a member of the coaching staff for Division One League club Vision FC in February 2020, before joining the national squad.
Sports
Veteran Sports Commentator Joe Lartey dies at 96
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has reported the death of Joe Lartey, a veteran Ghanaian football pundit and sports writer.
He passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024, at the age of 96.
Joe Lartey was born on June 6, 1927, in Accra and attended Accra Academy. Lartey, often known as “Over to You,” was a well-known broadcaster and SWAG’s founding president.
Lartey began his media career as a football commentator with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in 1961.
He grew to be a popular figure in Ghana’s sports community.
He subsequently spent a decade at Radio Nigeria before returning to GBC in 1990. During his stint, he presented shows including Sports Digest on GTV.
In appreciation of his achievements in sports journalism, Lartey received the coveted “A Life in Sport” award from the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) during the AIPS Sport Media Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in June 2022.
Lartey’s impact stretched well beyond Ghana, with numerous Ghanaian football analysts praising him for moulding their careers.
Fans and colleagues alike will remember him warmly for his pioneering work in sports broadcasting.
Sports
Xavi to stay as Barcelona’s coach until at least June 2025
Barcelona coach Xavi will stay with the club until at least the end of his contract in June 2025, having changed his mind about this being his final season.
The 44-year-old stated in January that he will stand down as manager this summer.
However, with president Joan Laporta desperate for him to stay, the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder has made a U-turn.
Xavi took over as manager of Barcelona in November 2021, after leaving Qatari club Al Sadd, and led the team to the Spanish title in his first full season in charge in 2022–23.
However, they are 11 points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid with six games remaining in the current season.
Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League last week after losing to PSG in the quarterfinals.
Xavi, who won 25 honours during his brilliant playing career at Barcelona, said he felt “liberated” with the revelation that he would leave the position at the conclusion of the season.
When he announced his departure following the defeat to Villarreal, he felt he was not being safeguarded by the club and there was no clear direction.
However, the team’s fortunes have improved since Xavi felt comfortable taking a more casual attitude.
They went ten games undefeated in the league before falling 3-2 to Real Madrid on Sunday.
On Wednesday, there was a meeting at Laporta’s residence, and the club’s desire for him to stay was clear.
If Xavi is unable to strengthen the squad before the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Barcelona will attempt to persuade one of the high-profile managers out of contract, including Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, and Mikel Arteta.
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