A FOOTBALLER bound for this summer’s World Cup is being investigated by police over an alleged sex attack.
The probe relates to an unnamed international who is accused of committing the attack in New Zealand after a Series match in March.
A Cape Verde player is reportedly at the centre of a sex attack investigation
Cape Verde are due to play at the World Cup this summer Credit: AP
The alleged incident is said to have taken place at the Cape Verde team hotel in Auckland, with investigating.
Authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the hotel on March 27, according to The New Zealand Herald .
Hours earlier, Cape Verde were beaten 4-2 by in a Fifa Series clash at Eden Park.
The report adds that the complainant has been ‘struggling to cope’ since the night of the alleged attack.
New Zealand police said: “[We] can confirm an allegation is under investigation, reported to us on April 10, 2026, in central Auckland. We are unable to comment further at this time.”
Fifa were reportedly unaware of the investigation but now intend to make their own inquiries.
Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history by topping their African qualifying group ahead of .
Their spot was confirmed last October when they beat Eswatini 3-0.
At the time, Cape Verde was the smallest nation by land area ever to reach the World Cup, and the second-smallest by population, behind .
But they have since been toppled by fellow surprise qualifiers – a nation roughly nine times smaller and with three times fewer inhabitants.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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