Cape Verde captain accused of rape ahead of historic Argentina World Cup clash
2 min readUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 11:13 AM IST World Cup debutants Cape Verde’s historic qualification for the knockout stage on Saturday has been marred by an investigation into rape charges levelled by a Brazilian woman against their captain on Sunday. According to Brazil news outlet Globo, forward Ryan Mendes is accused of sexually assaulting a woman who worked as a translator with the team in New Zealand during the FIFA series tournament played between March 27-30 this year. Globo reported that the woman alleged that Mendes entered her hotel room in Auckland and physically and sexually assaulted her. The alleged incident was reported to authorities, and she underwent a sexual assault examination. The woman is said to have reported the incident to three Cape Verde officials, who did not respond to the allegations. ALSO READ | How a coach who watched Maradona on a village TV put Cape Verde into the knockouts Football’s global body, FIFA, said in a statement to USA Today that “any allegations of misconduct” will be taken seriously and that …









