•Cape Verdean striker Ryan Mendes
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, reports AFP.
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.
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, “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.”
When she opened it, Mendes allegedly forced his way into her room, throttled, punched, and bit her, before raping her, the lady was quoted as saying in a 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 as the smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockout rounds, has not yet responded to the allegations.
Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, issued a statement hours after the allegations were first reported yesterday.
The organisation said it is in contact with New Zealand authorities and takes allegations of misconduct “extremely seriously,” according to Brazil’s media.
However, it said it could not comment on the allegations or confirm whether any investigations are underway.
