Benjamin Mendy called 'a rapist' and targeted with abuse by French football fans

Fans of Ligue 1 side Lorient hurled abuse at former Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy in the wake of their team's relegation to France's second division on Sunday.

The 29-year-old joined the club in his native country at the start of last season, two years after he last turned out for his former side in the wake of legal proceedings against Mendy which started in August 2021.

The player's trial the following year saw Mendy charged with eight counts of rape, one of attempted rape, and one of sexual assault, with the former France international pleading not guilty on all charges.

Mendy was cleared of six charges of rape and sexual assault in January 2023, before his July re-trial cleared him of a further rape charge and one of attempted rape.

The defender had been released from his former club on the expiration of his contract that June, and announced his move to the French side five days after the end of his protracted court battle.

But the transfer has not been a happy one, and supporters keen to vent their fury at their players' performances over the season boiled over in the wake of the final game of the season.

As Mendy made his way away from Stade du Moustoir, groups of fans lined the wall separating them from the Lorient players and shouted insults at their departing backs.

Mendy was told to 'get away' from the club and referred to as a 'rapist' by the angry supporters, as well as booed heavily as he left the stadium.

Despite finishing the season with a thumping 5-0 victory against bottom-of-the-table Clermont Foot, Lorient struggled to keep afloat in the French top flight.

Their high-profile transfer also had issues with persistent injury throughout the season, making just 15 appearances in Ligue 1 over the course of the season.

Mendy has also encountered difficulty away from football over the 2023-24 campaign, selling his £5million Cheshire mansion in a bid to avoid a bankruptcy order from HMRC.

Manchester City suspended his £100,000-a-week wages in September 2021 after Mendy's arrest, and in November the player opened a £10m claim against his former employer after he was cleared of all charges.

As well as having to pay off a tax bill of almost £800,000, Mendy accrued a legal bill of close to £1m during his trials.

April saw his bankruptcy order dismissed following the sale of his house for £750,000 less than his initial asking price.

Mendy's two-year deal with the club will mean that unless another makes a move for him, he will be preparing to fight for promotion in France's second tier next season.

By contrast, former club Man City celebrated winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday afternoon after another crushingly dominant end to their domestic campaign.