Until then, FC Lorient was preparing for its season without attracting too much attention. Back in training on July 5, Les Merlus played their first friendly match last Saturday in front of 1,200 people at the municipal stadium in Ploemeur. Result ? A prolific draw against neighboring Concarneau (3-3). The FCL was progressing quietly towards the second phase of its preparation, which will begin this weekend with a meeting against Guingamp, and the start of a one-week internship in Dinard. Until this press release, thrown on social networks like a stone in the pond, around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
In four sentences, the club announces the signing for two years of Benjamin Mendy, five days after the player was declared not guilty of rape and attempted rape by British justice. If the Hakes hoped to start the season in peace, it immediately flew away.
The 2018 world champion could have landed at Burnley, Olympiakos or other French clubs according to The Team. Lorient finally presented better arguments and won the right to send this announcement which saw absolutely the entire football planet. “I was amazed when I saw the news, says Raphaël, FCL subscriber. The first feeling was: “Ah yeah, we did it.” Must have cojones to do that in this context. I did not expect it, especially since we had other tracks on the left, a Moroccan side and a side from Olympiakos. »
” Why not ! »
The Merlus had not counted a player with such a gleaming CV (2018 world champion, four-time Premier League winner) in their workforce since French international Ludovic Giuly, winner of a Champions League with Barça. “I fully trust FC Lorient, comments Chantal Lohezic, president of the Breizh Tango supporters group. They are doing a good thing, he is a guy to revive. He was in the France team and he does not come from just any club, it’s a nice touch. Why not ! »
The last official match of the player trained in Le Havre dates back to August 15, 2021, when he was still under contract with Manchester City. “Lorient favored sports and jumped at the chance,” continues Raphaël. He is 29 years old, he is not finished. It can be interesting in a very competitive Ligue 1 with 18 clubs, with potentially three runs. When you are in Lorient, you do everything to try to maintain yourself and that also involves this kind of clever recruitment. “Sportingly, yes. Morally and in the media, it’s something else.
First Divisions
The tweet announcing the new Lorient recruit generated more than 14 million views. A colossal impact. For comparison, the tweet published the day before on the summer preparation of the workforce just exceeded 116,000 views. No one remained indifferent. “We, as supporters, we don’t know what happened. If he was found innocent, good… We must leave these things aside, believes Chantal Lohezic. Footballers are not all perfect, don’t dream! I want to trust him, he is a very good player. Titouan, he was “stunned” on Twitter.
“There are a lot of players who have played the last two years and who do not need to undermine the image of the club by signing them, he underlines. Even triple Golden Ball, I could never be satisfied to sign a guy with such a passive. “ Raphaël engages: “It shocked me a little. Morally, we take a lot of risks. The British court declared him innocent but I think he is not all rosy. We are attacked by several communities with “Lorient in Ligue 2”, “we hope that the club will sink”, etc. Our image will take a hit. Except to consider that any publicity, even negative, is good to take, hiring a player accused of eight rapes, an attempted rape and a sexual assault represents a hell of a risk.
Malaise, Breizh
“If the club hired him, they had their reason. As it is a club with a lot of values, I think they had to take a certain number of precautions”, confides the president of one of the major partners of FCL. If the club has been discreet, The Team revealed that the discussions had been initiated before the end of the trial. Like other companies associating their image with the club, the company B & B Hôtels, which we contacted, did not wish to react. Proof that the subject is sensitive. “Sponsors could be cooled, yes, notes Raphaël. Personally, I wouldn’t have done it. I would not have taken so many risks for this type of profile who has not played for two years. I would have preferred to take another side while remaining discreet. »
The continuation of the summer preparation of the Hakes, who finished the championship in 10th place this year, will obviously be closely scrutinized. They will face Guingamp (July 22), Le Havre (July 29), Nantes (August 2) and finally Bournemouth (August 5). They will officially start their season on the weekend of August 13 against PSG at the Parc des Princes. A stadium where Mendy, ex-Marseillais, will certainly be heckled. “Outside, I think he will not be very well received, confirms Raphaël. It will never be appreciated by some, it will be whistled by certain groups of ultras. Now we will have to deal with it. “In this somewhat schizophrenic situation, the young man hopes that this controversial recruit will make a contribution to the Lorient building, not immediately, but “within three months”. Recognizing that he would “difficult to wear” the jersey of the new number 5 of Hakes.