French soccer star Kylian Mbappe's representatives have rejected as "false and irresponsible" reports in Swedish media saying he is the subject of a rape investigation in the Nordic country. (More Sports News)
Without citing sources, several Swedish media including tabloids Expressen and Aftonbladet and broadcasters SVT and TV4 reported that the Real Madrid striker was the subject of a rape claim following a visit to Stockholm last week💯.
In response to the reports, Swedish prosecutors issued a brief statement Tuesday sayi♌ng a rape had been repജorted to police, but didn't name any suspect.
"According to the report the incident took place on October 10, 2024, at a hotel in central Stockholm," said the statement published by the Swedish Prosecution A❀uthority.
Prosecutor Marina 🦹Chirꦕakova, who is leading that investigation, declined to give any further details.
"From my side I cannot confirm whether there is a su🃏spect in the case," she told The Associated Press.
Names of suspects are typically not made public by Swedish authorities until charges ♉are filed or a suspect is ordered held in pre-trial detention.
Mbappé's communicati꧋ons team accused Swedish media o🐼f spreading “slanderous” rumors.
"These accusations are totally false and irresponsibleಞ, and their propa🔯gation is unacceptable," they said in a statement sent to the AP and other media.
"Kylian Mbappé will under no circumstances tolerate 🦋his integrityꦏ, reputation and honour being sullied by unfounded insinuations."
In๊ a post late Mo꧟nday on his official X account Mbappé wrote "FAKE NEWS!!!!" and linked to a French article picking up the Swedish reports.
He appeared to draw a link between the reports in Sweden and a hearing in Paris on Tuesday in a legal dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain over💎 unpa🍌id wages.
"It's becomingᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance," the post said in French.
Mbappé's lawyers didn't comment as they arrived for and 𒀰l🌺eft the hearing in Paris on Tuesday.
Later on Tuesday, a lawyer for Mbappé, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, told French br🍸oadcaster TF1 that her client was "bewildered" by🌳 the reports.
"We 𒁃are told that a complaint has been lodged, but a🐓t this stage we don't even know against whom. A complaint does not make the truth, a complaint does not prove anything. And once again, I don't even know if the complaint is against him," she said.
Swedish media 𒐪already last week reported on Mbappé's brief stay in Stockholm, publishing pictures of him and his entourage.
The French star had been given permission to skip international duty because of a minor thigh 💟injury as France beat Israel and Belgium in Nations League m🌼atches on October 10 and October 14, respectively.
Mbappe, who won the World Cup with France in 2018, joined Real Madrid t꧙his summer after seven years at PSG.
