Cape Verde’s national team captain Ryan Mendes has been accused of rape by a team translator following an alleged incident in a hotel room in New Zealand.
According to Brazil’s Globo, the 36-year-old forward—who has featured in all three of Cape Verde’s matches at the ongoing World Cup—is alleged to have assaulted a Brazilian woman employed as a translator during a team trip in March for an international fixture.
The woman claims she reported the incident to at least three officials within the Cape Verde football structure, but says no action was taken.
New Zealand police are now investigating the case, having obtained CCTV footage from an Auckland hotel and awaiting forensic results before deciding on possible charges.
The allegations were previously reported in New Zealand media without the player’s identity being disclosed.
In her statement, the woman said, “I 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, I was invited to a meeting in one of the hotel rooms reserved for the national side.
“But when I realised that I wasn’t needed to translate and that this was a social gathering, I returned to my room and, shortly after, heard knocking on the door.”
