Four dogs. An estate in Alcobendas, Madrid. And a lapse that ended in tragedy. That is how the court file summarizes what happened in January 2023, when the animals belonging to Ferland Mendy, a Real Madrid defender, escaped from the footballer’s property.
One of those dogs attacked two other animals and then bit a 17-year-old boy on the left leg. The teenager was injured, and since then his case has been in the hands of the courts. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses Mendy of a minor offense of causing injuries and is seeking only an approximate $1,200 fine. The minor’s family, represented by the law firm 99 Abogados, is not satisfied: it is demanding six months in prison for gross negligence.
The court has already ordered the case to proceed to trial and set bail at around $8,000 to cover compensation. A bitten teenager, a millionaire footballer, and a question that remains in the air: is a fine enough when someone is scarred for life?