STOCKHOLM.- The representatives of the French soccer star Kylian Mbappé They rejected as “false and irresponsible” reports from the Swedish media that say the player is the subject of a rape investigation in the Nordic country.
Without citing sources, several Swedish media outlets, including tabloids Expressen and Aftonbladet and broadcasters SVT and TV4, reported that the striker real Madrid was the subject of a rape complaint after a visit to Stockholm last week.
Responding to the reports, Swedish prosecutors issued a brief statement on Tuesday, stating that a rape was reported to police, but did not name any suspects.
“According to the report, the incident took place on October 10, 2024 in a hotel in central Stockholm,” says the statement published by the Swedish Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Marina Chirakova, who is leading the investigation, declined to give further details.
“For my part, I cannot confirm if there is a suspect in the case,” he told The Associated Press.
Swedish authorities generally do not release the names of suspects until charges are filed or a suspect is ordered into pre-trial detention.
Mbappé’s communications team accused the Swedish media of spreading “defamatory” rumors.
“These accusations are totally false and irresponsible and their spread is unacceptable,” they said in a statement sent to the AP and other media. “Kylian Mbappé will not tolerate under any circumstances that his integrity, reputation and honor are tarnished by unfounded insinuations.”
Striker’s reaction
In a post on Monday night on his official X network account, Mbappé wrote: “FAKE NEWS!!!” and linked to a French article that included the Swedish reports.
The French star hinted at a link between the reports in Sweden and a hearing in Paris on Tuesday over a legal dispute with Paris Saint-German, his former club, over unpaid wages.
“It is becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, by chance,” read the publication in French.
Mbappé’s lawyers did not comment upon his arrival and departure from the hearing in Paris on Tuesday.
Later that day, a lawyer for Mbappé, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, told French broadcaster TF1 that her client was “bewildered” by the reports.
Swedish media already reported last week on Mbappé’s brief stay in Stockholm, publishing photos of him and his entourage.
Mbappé had been cleared to miss the national team due to a minor thigh injury when France beat Israel and Belgium in Nations League matches on October 10 and 14, respectively.
The star, who won the World Cup with France in 2018, joined Real Madrid this summer after seven years at PSG.
