The Cape Verde national team is involved in a delicate situation. A Brazilian woman accuses captain Ryan Mendes of assault, which occurred at the hotel where the team was staying in Auckland, New Zealand.

What happened?

The woman, who was hired by the New Zealand federation to be an interpreter and provide operational support to the Cape Verdean delegation, contacted at least three employees of the Cape Verdean Football Federation (FCF) before filing a complaint with the police.

Why is this important for Cape Verde?

The police investigation has been ongoing since April 10 and authorities have collected images from the hotel's security cameras and are awaiting the results of forensic exams.

What comes next?

The victim sent extrajudicial notices to the FCF and FIFA and filled out the FIFA (Safeguarding) complaint form, but claims to have received no response. FIFA reacted after the news was published, stating that it takes «extremely seriously» any allegations of misconduct.