New Zealand police have dropped the rape accusation against Ryan Mendes, the Cape Verde captain, and are prosecuting the complainant for making a false statement. His lawyer welcomes a “complete vindication”.
The case that hung over Cape Verde’s season will have no criminal follow-up for Ryan Mendes. New Zealand police have dropped the rape accusation against the national team captain, ESPN reports, and have brought charges against the complainant for making a false statement, according to AP and The Independent.
The alleged events were said to have taken place in a hotel in central Auckland in March, a few hours after the friendly between Cape Verde and Chile played in the New Zealand capital, which Chile won 4-2.
An accusation deemed unsupported
Detective Inspector Scott Beard of New Zealand police said on Friday that the sexual assault accusation had not been substantiated. According to ESPN, he added: “A decision to prosecute in these circumstances is not taken lightly and follows months of investigative work by our dedicated adult sexual assault team”.
The 40-year-old woman targeted by the proceedings is being prosecuted under the New Zealand Crimes Act for making a false statement. She will appear before a New Zealand court next week. This is an accusation against her, not a conviction.
The exact reasons for dropping the case have not been detailed at this stage, nor has the content of the complaint.
Mendes’s camp speaks of complete vindication
Karl Trotter, Ryan Mendes’s lawyer, reacted to AP and the New Zealand Herald. “Mr Mendes is delighted to finally be able to turn the page, and he considers this a complete vindication,” he said. The word “cleared”, used in part of the press, reflects the defence’s reading; it does not result from a court decision.
The lawyer now hopes that the media treatment of the dropping of the charges will match that given to the accusation. “It is to be hoped that this recent turnaround, which clears Mr Mendes of the rape accusation, will attract the same level of media attention as the initial revelations,” he added, as quoted by AP.
According to him, the accusation brought the player intense international media speculation.
A captain in the spotlight
At 36, Ryan Mendes still wears the Cape Verde captain’s armband. An international since 2010, he is the most capped player in the national team, with 103 appearances, according to ESPN. He plays his club football for RS Berkane, in Morocco.
The case hung over the national team’s season: according to AP, it came up at almost every one of the player’s press conferences. Cape Verde, for their part, qualified for the 2026 World Cup.