The captain of Cape Verde’s World Cup 2026 team has been accused of sexually assaulting the team’s translator during a team trip to New Zealand, according to a new report.
Ryan Mendes, 36, allegedly sexually assaulted a Brazilian woman who was hired to work as a translator during the team’s March trip to New Zealand, according to Brazil’s Globo news outlet.
The woman, who has not been identified, told Brazilian media that Mendes entered her hotel room and attacked her. She said she reported the incident to at least three officials from Cape Verde’s soccer authority and never received a response.
The translator said the alleged incident occurred at a hotel in Auckland where the Cape Verdean team was staying.
The woman’s allegations cast a shadow over what has become the feel-good story of the 2026 World Cup. Cape Verde managed to hold Spain to a 0-0 draw in its opening match and went on to become the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup’s knockout rounds.
The woman told Globo that she was hired by Cape Verde’s team to work during this year’s FIFA Series in New Zealand. She said she was invited to a meeting in a hotel room following a match against Chile on March 27, but realized upon arrival that it was a social gathering rather than an official team meeting.
She said she returned to her room but was allegedly followed back by Mendes, who knocked at her door. The translator said she opened her door and Mendes allegedly forced his way into the room, choked her, punched her, bit her, and proceeded to rape her, according to a statement she gave to the New Zealand police, as reported by Globo.
The woman provided photos to the outlet showing bruising on her neck. She said that she sought treatment at a clinic for survivors of sexual violence and was given a forensic exam. The clinic reportedly found bruises on her neck, breasts, lips, and a genital exam found “two circular lesions, painful to the touch.”
The results were sent to the New Zealand Police on April 10.
On May 10, the woman and her husband sent complaints to the Cape Verdean Football Federation and FIFA with the medical report and evidence of the alleged rape and requested that Mendes be barred from participating in the World Cup as punishment.
She told Globo that she never received a response from FIFA.
The New Zealand Herald reported last month that a sexual assault involving a member of the Cape Verde team was under investigation, but those reports did not name Mendes as the subject of the allegations.
A FIFA spokesperson confirmed to The Independent that it is “in contact with the New Zealand authorities,” but “cannot comment further at this stage.”
“FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident,” the spokesperson said.
The Independent has requested comment from the New Zealand Police and the Cape Verde Football Association.
Globo said it also requested comment from the Cape Verde Football Association and was told by officials that it would not offer comment on the complaint.
