New Zealand Police have ruled out a rape allegation involving Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes and charged the woman who made the complaint with providing a false statement.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said on Friday that investigators had been unable to establish that a sexual assault took place at a hotel in central Auckland in March.
A 40-year-old woman has been charged under the Crimes Act for making a false statement and is due to appear before a court next week.
“The decision to bring a prosecution in circumstances such as these is not made lightly and comes after months of work by our Adult Sexual Assault Team,” Beard said.
The alleged incident was said to have happened only hours after Cape Verde’s friendly against Chile in Auckland, a match Chile won 4-2.
Mendes’ lawyer, Karl Trotter, said the accusation had subjected the player to widespread speculation in international media. Cape Verde have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and Trotter said the allegation was raised at nearly every press conference attended by Mendes.
“Mr Mendes is delighted that he can at last put this behind him, and he sees it as a full vindication,” Trotter told the New Zealand Herald. “One would hope that this latest development, which clears Mr Mendes of the rape allegation, receives the same degree of media coverage as the initial reports.”
Mendes, 36, is Cape Verde’s record appearance-maker. He has earned 103 caps since making his international debut in 2010 and currently plays club football for Moroccan side RS Berkane.
