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An old incident comes up at a sensitive time
The joy of one of the stars of the African teams participating in the 2026 World Cup turned into a nightmare after he was accused of a shameful act, hours after securing a place in the last 32.
Ryan Mendes, the captain of the Cape Verde national team, faces a judicial investigation in New Zealand on charges of sexual harassment.
Quotes Portuguese newspaper Abula According to the Brazilian “Globo” website, the case concerns a Brazilian citizen living in New Zealand, and the alleged incident took place last March, during the gathering of the African national team in New Zealand. The newspaper said the charges relate to a March 27 incident at the Cape Verde national team delegation hotel in Auckland, where a Brazilian woman living in New Zealand on a residence and work visa worked as a translator and operational support for the delegation during FIFA activities, which included two friendlies, one against Chile and the other against Chile. the same hotel due to his work.
According to the complaint filed with the police, the complainant stated that after the first match against Chile, he was invited to a meeting in one of the hotel rooms reserved for the mission, thinking that he would act as a translator, but he was surprised that the meeting was a holiday, so he went to his room after feeling uncomfortable.
She added that she heard a knock on her door shortly after, so she opened the door thinking she would be asked to help with work, but according to the complaint, Mendez entered the room, physically assaulted her, tried to choke her and punched and bit her while she tried to defend herself while he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
The newspaper reports that the complainant took pictures of the bruises he received and went to a specialist clinic for the support of victims of sexual assault, where the medical report showed the presence of multiple purple spots on the chest, neck and lips, in addition to the head and sensitive areas.
In response to Globo’s inquiry, New Zealand police confirmed they were investigating the case, but declined to identify the parties involved in accordance with the country’s strict privacy laws. The sources inform that the complaint was submitted on April 10.
No official comment has yet been announced by Mendes or the Cape Verde Football Association.
