Ryan Mendes, the captain of Cape Verde’s historic World Cup team, is under police investigation over an allegation of rape made by a woman who served as the team’s translator in New Zealand, it has been reported, with FIFA confirmed to have been aware of the investigation for several weeks.
The alleged incident took place at an Auckland hotel in March after Cape Verde played Chile in a football tournament there, according to the New Zealand Herald, which first broke the story. New Zealand police confirmed the investigation to the Herald but declined to provide specific details.
The accuser, a Brazilian woman who acted as the team’s Portuguese-language translator, is reported to have initially approached officials from Cape Verde’s football federation for help before filing a police complaint, but received no assistance, according to Brazilian outlet globo.com. She was subsequently treated at a clinic for survivors of sexual violence. A report from that examination, which included detailed findings of injuries to multiple parts of her body, is now with investigators, who are awaiting the results of a forensic analysis before proceeding, globo.com reported.
FIFA told USA Today that it takes “any allegation of misconduct” seriously and was in contact with New Zealand officials. HuffPost, which also reported the story, said it had attempted to contact Mendes through Cape Verde’s squad email address but received an automated reply indicating the inbox was full.
The news breaks at a particularly sensitive moment for the tournament. Cape Verde have been one of the stories of the World Cup, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stages after an extraordinary group stage that included holding world number one ranked Spain to a draw. Mendes played in all three group matches. The nation is due to face Argentina in the round of 32 on Friday.
The case is not the only one of its kind hanging over the tournament. Ghana’s Thomas Partey has also played in the World Cup despite facing seven counts of rape, according to HuffPost.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, support is available through Rape Crisis England and Wales.
