Allegations Surface Against Cape Verde Captain
Cape Verde national team captain Ryan Mendes, 36, has been accused of raping a female translator hired by the team during a trip to New Zealand in March. The alleged incident occurred after a match against Chile, according to Brazil's Globo news outlet. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, claims Mendes forced his way into her hotel room, choked, punched, and bit her before sexually assaulting her.
Details of the Alleged Assault
In her statement to New Zealand police, the translator said she was hired by Cape Verde's soccer federation for the FIFA Series in New Zealand. After the first match against Chile, she was invited to a meeting in a hotel room reserved for the national team. Realizing it was a social gathering rather than a translation assignment, she returned to her room. Shortly after, she heard knocking and when she opened the door, Mendes allegedly forced his way in, throttled her, punched her, and bit her, before raping her. She provided photographs of injuries to her mouth, neck, leg, and side as evidence.
Lack of Response from Football Authorities
The woman said she approached at least three officials from the Cape Verdean soccer authorities about the incident, but they did not respond. New Zealand police are now investigating and have collected security camera footage from an Auckland hotel. They are awaiting forensic results before deciding whether to charge Mendes. The case was first reported by New Zealand media last month, but the player's name was not disclosed at that time.
FIFA's Stance and Mendes' Silence
FIFA issued a statement saying it is in contact with New Zealand authorities and takes any misconduct allegations extremely seriously. However, the organization declined to comment on the specific allegations or confirm whether any investigation is underway. Mendes, who has played in all three of Cape Verde's World Cup games and helped the team become the smallest nation to reach the knockout rounds, has not responded to the accusations.
