Last week Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty on 10 different accusations of rape, ending a two-year legal battle.
Following the verdict, Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior and Memphis Depay of Atletico Madrid sent messages of support to Mendy, painting the French defender as the victim of the incident.
Versus, a platform in the United Kingdom which focuses on cultural exchange and social change within football and music, have called out their actions. The organisation, which has previously worked with Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Kylian Mbappe and Hector Bellerin amongst others, pointed out that the legal threshold in the UK for being convicted of rape was high.
Trigger warning. A message from VERSUS in light of recent events. Players now have the ability to create social change, but using their voice in response to a rape verdict isn't how to do it. Their platforms need to be used with care and responsibility. pic.twitter.com/IVK1bgihR9
— VERSUS (@vsrsus) July 17, 2023
They called it tone-deaf at best, but also referred to it as a bigoted attack looking to fire up men against women. They go on to highlight that less than 1% of rape cases end in conviction, that 5 in 6 rapes are not reported, and that the number of recorded rapes is at a high in the UK.
While Mendy was found not guilty, Vinicius and Memphis’ statements could frighten many women into silence, knowing the balance of power is firmly weighted against them. It may be the case that Mendy is innocent of all wrongdoing, but statistically, he is an anomaly in this instance. Figures suggest that the numbers are no less gruesome in Spain either, in what is a largely undercovered issue.
Plutocrat tricks to drive a wedge between races, sexes and people in general.
Create a situation where whatever opinion you have can be twisted into being branded as an -ist, regardless of what you say.
Were not falling for that anymore.