Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy found not guilty of seven of nine charges

There's some resolution regarding accusations made against Manchester City defender and France international Benjamin Mendy. 

According to Sky Sports and the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Mendy was found not guilty on Friday of seven of the nine charges against him. Specifically, the 28-year-old was cleared of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

A jury was unable to reach a verdict as it pertains to one count of rape and one count of attempted rape. Mendy is set to face a retrial in June.

Manchester City suspended Mendy after he was initially charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in August 2021. The club stopped paying him the following month, and he will be out of contract following the 2022-23 season. 

"Manchester City FC notes the verdict from Chester Crown Court today, where a jury has found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges," the club said in a brief statement. "The jury is hung on two charges and the trial is now over. Given there are open matters related to this case, the Club is not in a position to comment further at this time." 

Additionally, Louis Saha Matturie, a co-defendant in the Mendy case, was found not guilty on three counts of rape. He faces a retrial in September related to three counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. 

Mendy and Matturie denied all charges and insisted the sexual encounters were consensual. 

Mendy joined City from Monaco in July 2017 via what Nick Garnett of BBC News noted was a then-record transfer fee for the Manchester club of £52 million. The defender was part of three Premier-League-winning sides and also has two English League Cup titles on his résumé across his City tenure. He was an unused substitute in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final won by fellow Premier League club Chelsea.