Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has criticised media outlets for confusing him with fellow footballer Benjamin Mendy, claiming such “mistakes” are “highly symbolic”.

Pictures of Edouard Mendy, who plays for the Premier League club and for Senegal, and his cousin Ferland Mendy, have incorrectly appeared in articles about the recent rape charges against Benjamin Mendy, who plays for Manchester City and France.

The City defender, 27, has been charged with six counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

He appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison on Wednesday.

Edouard Mendy shared images of news articles in French and English in which he and his cousin had been mistaken for Benjamin Mendy.

He described the “mistakes” as “highly symbolic”.

“Sad to see that in 2021, in France as well as England, for some, black people have neither names nor distinct faces,” he wrote on Instagram.

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“It’s not that complicated to differentiate two faces, especially when the football jersey is of valuable help!”

Ferland, who plays for Real Madrid and the French national team, reposted his cousin’s Instagram story.

Benjamin Mendy has been in custody since August after judges refused bail applications.

Two of the rape allegations are alleged to have taken place in Macclesfield in July and August this year.

Four others relate to the alleged rapes of four women over the age of 16 at his home address in Cheshire between October 2020 and August 2021.

The sexual assault charge dates back to January this year.

Benjamin Mendy appeared alongside his co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie, 40, who is charged with two counts of rape and one of sexual assault.

Neither man has entered a plea, and both are expected to go on trial in January.

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