The key facts
- New Zealand Police found no confirmation of the sexual assault allegations at an Auckland hotel
- The 40-year-old complainant is charged with providing false information; the hearing is on 10 November
- The allegations concerned an incident in March during the FIFA Series tournament; the scandal became public in June 2026
Investigation closed
New Zealand Police have ended the investigation into Cape Verde national football team captain Ryan Mendes, who was accused of raping an interpreter. This was announced in an official New Zealand Police release. Investigators concluded that the allegations of sexual assault, allegedly committed at one of Auckland's hotels, were not substantiated. Instead, a criminal case for providing false statements was opened against the complainant herself — a 40-year-old woman who is due to appear in Auckland District Court on 10 November.
What is known about the allegations
Mendes found himself at the center of a scandal in June 2026, when the Cape Verde national team was taking part in the FIFA World Cup. As Life.ru reported, a Brazilian woman who worked as an interpreter for the national team's delegation claimed that the footballer raped her in March during a friendly FIFA Series tournament in New Zealand. According to her, the assault took place in a hotel room: the athlete allegedly beat, strangled and bit her. As evidence, the complainant submitted photographs of the alleged injuries.
The parties' positions
The decision to open a case against the complainant was not an easy one, emphasized Detective Inspector Scott Beard: in his words, in such circumstances it «is not made immediately and is the result of months of work by our adult sexual assault investigation team». After several months of investigation, law enforcement had no grounds to continue the case against Mendes. The footballer's lawyer, Carl Trotter, said his client was glad the proceedings were over and considered the decision a confirmation of his innocence.
