Swedish newspaper Expressen reports that Kylian Mbappé is being investigated for rape, following a visit by the Real Madrid star to Stockholm. Mbappé denounced the report as “fake news.” After newspaper Aftonbladet reported that an alleged rape had been reported to police but did not say who was accused, Expressen newspaper said 25-year-old Mbappé was the suspect. “According to information obtained by Expressen, police are investigating the star who is reasonably suspected of rape and sexual assault,” the newspaper wrote.
Swedish law enforcement differentiates the level of suspicion as either reasonable or probable, with reasonable being the lower degree of suspicion. Mbappé’s entourage, when contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP), said it had no knowledge of a legal complaint made against him.
The French international, who was not selected for his country’s latest round of Nations League matches, visited the Swedish capital with a group of people on October 10. They dined at a restaurant before going to a nightclub, according to the Aftonbladet report. Mbappé and the group left Sweden on Friday.
In a post on X, Mbappé claimed that there was a link between the Aftonbladet report and his hearing before a French league committee on Tuesday in his bitter dispute with his former club Paris Saint-Germain over what he says are unpaid wages. Mbappé claims he is owed €55 million by the Qatari-owned French champions. “FAKE NEWS !!!!. It’s becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance,” Mbappé posted.
‘Slanderous’
A prosecutor investigating the accusation told AFP that “a probe is underway into a crime that was reported on October 10 in the center of Stockholm.” Swedish police declined to give any further details. “In general, if we have received a complaint and decided to conduct interviews and we make it known (to the public), those involved in the case may take actions that delay and complicate the investigation,” said police spokesperson Carina Skagerlind.
Aftonbladet published photos on its website on Monday showing police officers in front of the hotel where Mbappé and the group with him had stayed. Mbappé’s entourage said in a statement sent to AFP: “Today, a new slanderous rumor is starting to spread across the web from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.”
“These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable. […] In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappé), all necessary legal action will be taken to re-establish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappé is suffering repeatedly,” the statement added.
France coach Didier Deschamps said Monday that the report “is not a good thing for the national team.” “Everyone is free to write what they want but there is a negative atmosphere” around the French team, Deschamps told reporters, following the 2-1 win in Belgium in the UEFA Nations League. “You had better take a bit of a step back before publishing anything and everything, but these things happen so often,” he said.
