Ryan Mendes Cleared of Rape Allegation in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Cape Verde captain Ryan Mendes has been formally cleared by New Zealand police of a rape allegation that has shadowed him for months, with authorities instead charging his accuser with making a false statement.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard confirmed on Friday that an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a central Auckland hotel in March had found no evidence to support the claim.

The case stemmed from the night Cape Verde faced Chile in a friendly in Auckland, a match Chile won 4-2. Hours after the final whistle, the allegation surfaced and quickly spiraled into an international story, following Mendes from press room to press room as Cape Verde pushed toward the 2026 World Cup.

The pressure never really eased. Every squad announcement, every media conference, every question about Cape Verde’s rise seemed to come with another about the accusation hanging over their captain.

Now the legal focus has flipped.

A 40-year-old woman has been charged under New Zealand’s Crimes Act with making a false statement and is expected to appear in court next week. Beard underlined the weight of that move, stressing that prosecutors did not reach the decision lightly and that it followed months of work by the Adult Sexual Assault Team.

For Mendes, 36, the outcome marks a hard-fought clearing of his name.

His lawyer, Karl Trotter, said the forward had endured intense international scrutiny as the allegation followed him across continents. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Trotter described the decision as a complete vindication for his client and said Mendes was “thrilled” to finally put the matter behind him.

Trotter also issued a challenge to the news cycle that helped fuel the storm, saying it should be hoped that the development exonerating Mendes receives the same level of attention as the original allegation.

Mendes is Cape Verde’s most capped player, a central figure in one of African football’s most compelling recent stories. Since his debut in 2010, he has made 103 appearances for his country and become the face of a generation that has pushed Cape Verde onto the global stage. He currently plays his club football for RS Berkane in Morocco.

With the case closed and the charge now sitting with his accuser, Mendes can turn back to the pitch and to a World Cup on the horizon, carrying not just the armband, but a cleared name into the biggest chapter of his career.