Ghana defender, John Mensah has revealed that his recent run-in with the French Police left him distressed to play the game.

Mensah, who plays for Olympique Lyon in the French Lique 1, was arrested on suspicion of the theft of a car, but was later freed after the police realised they had made a mistake.

The arrest led to Mensah sitting out the games with Fiorentina in the Champions League and Le Havre as he felt distressed to play.

“They didn’t even ask me for my papers!” Mensah told L’Equipe. “I wasn’t in a speeding situation and I didn’t do anything illegal; I just came back to my hotel for dinner.

“The police arrested me and told me to get out of the car; I didn’t understand what was happening. They treated me like a criminal before putting me in custody and then freeing me.

“That’s the worst moment of my life since I’ve been France. The policeman who thought I stole my car apologised to me and to chairman [Jean-Michel] Aulas.”

The religious Ghanaian defender however says he holds no bitterness against anyone after the incident.

“As a Christian I’m supposed to forgive and I did it even if it’s hard. It made me lose all my concentration, that’s why I didn’t play against Fiorentina and against Le Havre, as I couldn’t.”