Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes under investigation by police over allegations of rape
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Ryan Mendes has played in all three of Cape Verde's games at the World Cup Joe Buvid/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images
By Dan SheldonJune 30, 2026 7:47 am EDT UpdatedCape Verde captain Ryan Mendes is under investigation by police in New Zealand over allegations he raped a woman in March.
According to multiple international reports, including by the New Zealand Herald, which was the first media outlet to report on the case and has confirmed the player’s identity through extensive documentation and multiple sources, Mendes — his country’s all-time top scorer — has been accused of raping a Brazilian woman who had been hired to work with the team during a FIFA Series event earlier this year.
The woman, according to multiple reports, has alleged to authorities in New Zealand that Mendes forced his way into her room before raping her.
Pictures of the woman’s alleged injuries have appeared in the various media reports regarding the allegations as well as surfacing on social media. Mendes remains under investigation and has not been charged.
The Athletic previously reported in May that authorities in New Zealand were investigating an alleged incident involving a then-unnamed Cape Verde player.
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New Zealand police investigating alleged incident involving Cape Verde player during FIFA Series
The alleged incident took place during March’s FIFA Series mini-tournament in New Zealand.
New Zealand Police declined to comment when approached by The Athletic but had previously confirmed that the investigation was ongoing. The Cape Verdean Football Federation and a representative for the player have not responded to requests for comment.
The FIFA Series event — FIFA’s vehicle to create a series of “meaningful friendlies” across the world — Cape Verde took part in saw them play Chile on March 27 and New Zealand on March 30.
In a statement released to The Athletic in relation to the allegations that have been made against Mendes, a FIFA spokesperson said: “FIFA takes any allegation of misconduct extremely seriously and has a clear process in place for anyone in football who wants to report an incident.
“As a general rule, please understand that the independent judicial bodies do not comment on allegations they may or may not have received, or whether or not investigations are underway into alleged cases. Any information they may like to share will be communicated at their discretion.
“FIFA is in contact with the New Zealand authorities. Please understand we cannot comment further at this stage.”
Mendes, 36, is currently at the World Cup with his country and has started each of their three matches so far, playing 251 minutes in total.
After drawing against Spain in the team’s opening match, in one of the most surprising World Cup results in history, Cape Verde quickly became the tournament’s Cinderella team.
The team followed the Spain draw with successive draws against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to qualify for the knockout stage, becoming the smallest nation ever to do so.
The next opportunity for Mendes to play will be in his country’s round-of-32 match against Argentina in Miami on July 3.
The allegations lodged against Mendes, who is Cape Verde’s most-capped player, come at the same time as two other World Cup players are facing similarly intense scrutiny. It highlights how football as a whole deals with such allegations made against its players or coaches and at what point duty of care comes into the equation.
As exclusively revealed by The Athletic, Thomas Partey, who plays for Ghana, was denied entry to Canada, resulting in him missing their opening World Cup win over Panama on June 17. The former Arsenal midfielder, now playing for Villarreal in Spain, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025 by London’s Metropolitan Police.
In September of that year, he pleaded not guilty. He was then charged with two new counts of rape in February this year, to which he pleaded not guilty in April.
It was also announced on June 24 that Achraf Hakimi, the Morocco captain and Paris Saint-Germain player, will stand trial in France for an alleged rape at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt in February 2023.
Hakimi, who denies the allegations, had attempted to have the case thrown out and reacted to the development that it will proceed to a trial by releasing a statement on X.
His post read: “Justice looked me in the eyes and said to me: ‘If you weren’t famous, there never would have been a case.’ I chose to remain silent for years. I thought that staying dignified, being patient, and trusting the justice system would allow the right decisions to be made.
“Today, a story that is not mine is being told at the expense of my family, my life, and above all, the truth. Sometimes I feel like I’ve become an easy target.
“I’ve been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I’m looking forward to it. Finally, I will be able to speak.”
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Sara Foster Explains Why She’s Still Living With Ex Tommy Haas 2 Years After Split
Sara Foster and Tommy Haas are still living together nearly two years after their split.
“It’s such an interesting [thing],” Foster, 45, said during the Tuesday, June 30, episode of Kristin Cavallari’s “Let’s Be Honest” podcast. “I’m not dating. I mean, I’m sure he is.”
Foster explained that Haas, 48, is a Florida resident and is “always on the road” because of his career as a retired tennis player. He also isn’t the biggest fan of Los Angeles.
“His comfort level is being on the road,” Foster continued. “We have breakfast when he’s in town. We have breakfast and dinner with our kids every day. … It’s not for everybody.”
Related: Sara Foster Addresses Split From Tommy Haas — Sort Of
Sara Foster is not ready to share the details of her separation from longtime love Tommy Haas. Foster, 43, opened up her Instagram DMs for a fan Q&A on Wednesday, September 24, and received a message about her split from one bold follower. “You owe your longtime listeners a discussion about your separation,” the social […]News broke in August 2024 that Foster and Haas had split after nearly 20 years together. They never wed but are the parents of daughters Valentina, 15, and Josephine, 10.
“There’s something to be said about slowly transitioning,” Foster said. “Nothing crazy happened. I think you, kind of, grow differently.”
She added, “I remember, I feel like he looked at me once, and I was like, ‘Oh, he does not respect me anymore.’ Once you can see someone looking at you with a certain eye, you’re kind of like, ‘Oh, God.’”
Foster said there was a “collective shift” in their relationship, which eventually caused their split. Even though they’re not together romantically anymore, Foster doesn’t have a bad thing to say about her ex.
“This guy has got so much integrity. You will never meet anyone that has a bad thing to say about him,” she said. “He has real integrity. He’s not a social climber. He’s not a user. He likes who he likes, doesn’t care who you are. He really is a great guy.”
Related: Which Celebs Have Married or Dated Pro Tennis Players? A Guide
Andy Roddick and Serena Williams are just two tennis stars who’ve made headlines for their high-profile romances — and celebrity hook ups — in addition to their athletic abilities. Roddick romanced Mandy Moore in the early 2000s before he found The One in wife Brooklyn Decker. The two women, however, are both still some of […]Telling their kids became a hurdle when news of Foster and Haas’ split went public before they had the chance to discuss it.
“We had never actually sat down and been like, ‘This is how it’s gonna look, this is where I’m gonna live, this is where you’re gonna live, this is what we’re gonna do,’” she recalled. “We both, sort of, one day knew this is not what it should be anymore.”
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Deal Alert! This 44%-Off Throw-On Mini Dress Is Too Good to Leave in Your Cart View DealShe added, “Our kids don’t look at us with those eyes of, ‘This is what I hope to have one day.’ And that is not good.”
Overall, Foster wishes things went differently with her daughters.
“We didn’t handle it the way it should be handled, so I don’t even want to tell people how we handled it, because it’s not how you should handle it,” she said. “There’s been a real beauty in doing it slowly for us.”
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