New Zealand police have dismissed a rape allegation against Ryan Mendes, the captain of the Cape Verde football team, and have charged the accuser with making a false statement. The claim of a sexual assault at a central Auckland hotel in March was found to be unsubstantiated, according to Detective Inspector Scott Beard.

A 40-year-old woman is now facing charges under New Zealand’s Crimes Act and is expected to appear in court next week. Beard noted, "A decision to prosecute in these circumstances is not taken lightly and follows months of investigative work by our Adult Sexual Assault Team."

The alleged incident occurred shortly after Cape Verde faced Chile in a friendly match, which Chile won 4-2. Mendes’ lawyer, Karl Trotter, expressed relief that his client can finally move on from the intense media speculation that followed the allegation.

Mr Mendes was thrilled to finally be able to get this behind him and he regards it as a complete vindication,

Mendes, now 36 years old, is Cape Verde’s most capped player with 103 appearances since his debut in 2010. He currently plays for RS Berkane in Morocco. Trotter hopes that the recent developments will attract media attention comparable to the original allegations.