The captain of World Cup fairytale story, Cape Verde, has been accused of rape by a team translator after he allegedly entered her hotel room and choked her, according to reports.
Ryan Mendes, 36, 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, reported Brazil’s Globo news outlet.
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 collected security camera footage from an Auckland hotel and are awaiting the results of a forensic investigation before they decide 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 she 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, she was invited to a meeting in one of the hotel rooms reserved for the national side at the hotel.
But when she realized that she wasn’t needed for translating, and this was a social gathering, she said she returned to her 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, according to her 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 by becoming the smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockout rounds, has not responded yet to the allegations.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA issued a statement hours after the allegations were first reported on Sunday.
The organization said it is in contact with New Zealand authorities and takes any misconduct allegations “extremely seriously,” according to Brazil’s media.
However, it said it could not comment on the allegations or confirm whether any investigations are underway.