A Brazilian interpreter, hired by the New Zealand Football Federation to assist the Cape Verde delegation, entered a hotel room for work-related reasons. Upon realizing it was a social gathering, she decided to leave. According to her complaint, Ryan Mendes, the team’s captain and all-time top scorer, later entered that same room and sexually assaulted her.
The woman was taken to a clinic specializing in sexual violence, where a forensic examination detected bruises on her neck, breasts, and lips, as well as sensitive areas on her scalp and buttocks. The genital examination identified two circular injuries, according to a reconstruction by the Brazilian outlet Ge.
She reported what happened to the Cape Verdean federation and FIFA, asking them to remove Mendes from the squad. She never received a response from either of them. New Zealand confirmed that the case remains open, although it provided no further details. Meanwhile, you wonder how it is possible for a complaint with such clear medical evidence to still be awaiting an institutional response.
