Cape Verde Captain Ryan Mendes Rape Charges Argentina Knockout Match

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.

Football’s global body, FIFA, said in a statement to USA Today that “any allegations of misconduct” will be taken seriously and that they were in contact with the New Zealand authorities. “Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage,” FIFA’s statement said.

The 36-year-old Mendes, who featured in all three group-stage matches at the World Cup, has featured in all by 17 minutes in the group stage. Since making his national debut, Mendes has won 100 international caps and recorded 22 goals. Having spent a majority of professional career in France and the UAE Pro League, Mendes currently represents Turkish second division club Iğdır.

Cape Verde’s qualification has been among the heartwarming stories of the World Cup’s expanded 48-team pool. An archipelago of 10 volcanic islands not far from the Western African coast, Cape Verde finished second in Group H, securing a berth in the World Cup knockouts at their first attempt. They became the smallest nation, by size and population, to qualify for the World Cup knockout stages, pushing down Uruguay to third place, in less than eight months since they secured their berth at the sport’s grandest stage.