Kylian Mbappe's rep says 'legal action will be taken' against Swedish media over rape allegations | CNN
A representative for Kylian Mbappe has slammed Swedish media reporting about the French soccer star as “completely false and irresponsible”.
Several Swedish outlets – including Swedish public broadcaster SVT, which “obtained documents” and CNN affiliate Expressen, which cited a police report – reported that Mbappe is “reasonably suspected of rape” after visiting a nightclub and staying at a hotel in Stockholm on October 10.
According to the Swedish police, reasonable suspicion means that “there are certain circumstances that indicate, to some extent, that the person who committed the act.”
Swedish prosecutors announced on Tuesday that a criminal report had been submitted to police following media reports of a suspected rape in Stockholm on Thursday.
The press release issued by Swedish prosecutors did not identify any specific individuals, and prosecutors said they could not provide any further information when contacted by CNN.
Mbappe, 25, called the media reports “fake news” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in response to a similar story posted by French outlet RMC Sport. RMC Sport later deleted his original social media post.
“A new slanderous rumor has started to catch fire on the web, originating from the Swedish media AFTONBLADET and EXPRESSEN,” Mbappe's representative told CNN through a PR agency on Tuesday.
“These allegations are completely false and irresponsible, and their dissemination is unacceptable. Kylian Mbappe will not under any circumstances allow his integrity, reputation and honor to be tarnished by baseless allegations.
“All necessary legal steps will be taken to put an end to this systematic destruction of his image, to re-establish the truth and to pursue any person or media involved in the repeated moral harassment and defamatory behavior of Kylian Mbappe.”
Mbappe's lawyer Marie-Alix Kanu-Bernard appeared French TV's TF1 defended its client on Tuesday night, calling the reports a “reprehensible condemnation”.
He said he attended training on Tuesday and described Mbappe as “absolutely calm” despite the allegations.
However, Canu-Bernard said, “He's completely taken aback by this kind of media frenzy and he doesn't understand what could be remotely or remotely held against him.”
Then on Wednesday, Kanu-Bernard said in an interview with French outlet BFMTV that the media reports had “had an impact” and that living with Mbappe had been “complicated”.
“I wish him success in his next match to score as many goals as possible,” he said. “At some point, if this media frenzy and these thinly-veiled allegations continue and aren't brought to light quickly, investigators will listen to him.”
The Real Madrid forward did not play in France's last two UEFA Nations League games – wins against Israel and Belgium. The forward's next likely appearance will be on the pitch white people Against Celta de Vigo in La Liga on Saturday.
CNN has reached out to Real Madrid for comment.
According to AFP, Mbappe traveled to Stockholm last week and spent Thursday and Friday in the Swedish capital.