Former Manchester City defender, Benjamin Mendy, has been released by Swiss club after playing just eight games and angering top officials at the club due his partying antics.
Mendy, 31, joined Zurich in February and agreed a contract running until the summer of 2026 after his short spell with French side Lorient.
But he made less than 10 appearances over his five-month stay and saw his deal ripped up by mutual consent after his behaviour was criticised.
A statement released on the club website read: ‘FC Zurich announces that the contract with French defender Benjamin Mendy has been terminated by mutual consent. He is leaving the city club with immediate effect.
‘FCZ wishes Benjamin Mendy all the best for his private and sporting future.’
According to Mundo Deportivo, Mendy’s questionable off-field antics culminated in the axe being brought down. Indeed, it has been claimed that he angered Zurich’s hierarchy after partying just hours after a 4-0 defeat by rivals Basel in April.
The incident led manager Ricardo Moniz to openly take aim at Mendy in the press.
‘Mendy didn’t perform as expected of a player of his calibre,’ said Moniz.
‘His physical condition isn’t up to what we expect from a player in this league.
‘After a 4–0 defeat, you can’t afford to do that to the supporters.’
Zurich president Ancillo Canepa was similarly unimpressed with the former French international, saying: ‘It’s certainly not what we expected. Mentally and physically, he wasn’t at his best at all, played very badly, conceded goals, and got injured.
‘All in all, it wasn’t a happy story.’
Mendy’s move to Switzerland came after he was suspended by City in August 2021 after being charged with multiple counts of r@pe and one alleged s£xual ass@ult.
He was cleared of six counts of r@pe and one of s£xual ass@ult, and subsequently cleared of a further count of rape and one attempted rape in a retrial in July 2023.
Mendy then successfully took City to an employment tribunal over unpaid wages, with a judge ruling he was entitled to the ‘majority of his unpaid salary’ from the club.
The veteran went on to sign a deal with Lorient but played just 15 games.
He made 75 appearances during his six-year spell at the Etihad, winning three Premier League titles under Pep Guardiola in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
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