Sunday, June 28, 2026 - The captain of Cape Verde has been accused of r@pe by a team translator after he allegedly entered her hotel room and choked her, according to reports.
Ryan Mendes, 36, who has played in all three of the African
island country’s World Cup games so far, was accused of s£xually ass@ulting a
Brazilian woman hired to be the team’s translator during a trip to New Zealand
to play a game in March, reported Brazil’s Globo news outlet.
The unidentified woman said she approached at least three
officials from the Cape Verdean soccer authorities, who did not respond,
according to Brazilian media.
The case is now being investigated by New Zealand police,
who collected security camera footage from an Auckland hotel and are awaiting
the results of a forensic investigation before they decide whether to charge
Mendes.
The alleged sex assault was reported by New Zealand media
last month, but the name of the player was not revealed, only that he was on
Cape Verde’s team.
In her statement, the woman said she was hired by Cape
Verde’s soccer team for their games in the FIFA Series in New Zealand, and
after the first match against Chile, she was invited to a meeting in one of the
hotel rooms reserved for the national side at the hotel.
But when she realized that she wasn’t needed for
translating, and this was a social gathering, she said she returned to her
room, and shortly after, heard knocking on the door.
When she opened it, Mendes allegedly forced his way into her
room, throttled, punched, and bit her, before r@ping her, according to her
statement to New Zealand police.
She shared pictures of injuries to her mouth, neck, leg, and
side, which were handed to the police.
Mendes, whose Cape Verde team made history by becoming the
smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockout rounds, has not responded yet
to the allegations.
Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, issued a statement hours after the allegations were first reported on Sunday.
The organization said it is in contact with New Zealand authorities and takes any misconduct allegations “extremely seriously,” according to Brazil’s media.
However, it said it could not comment on the allegations or
confirm whether any investigations are underway.
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