Cape Verdean striker Ryan Mendes, pictured here celebrating his country's qualification for the World Cup round of 32 on Friday night, is reportedly the subject of a rape complaint for alleged incidents dating back to March 2026. - L.Pennington/ZUMA/SIPA
The captain of Cape Verde, Ryan Mendes, has been accused of rape by a team translator after he allegedly entered her hotel room and choked her.
According to a report by Brazil’s Globo news outlet on Saturday, the 36-year-old Cape Verdean captain, who has played in all three of the African island country’s World Cup games so far, was accused of sexually assaulting a Brazilian woman hired to be the team’s translator during a trip to New Zealand to play a game in March.
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 have collected security camera footage from an Auckland hotel and are awaiting the results of a forensic investigation before deciding whether to charge Mendes.
