Swedish officials confirmed a rape probe but did not identify Kylian Mbappe despite media conjecture, according to recent reports.
During his vacation to Stockholm, the football player, who is currently with Real Madrid, was allegedly involved, according to reports from various Swedish sites.
Mbappe was previously “reasonably suspected” of rape and sexual assault, the lower of two levels of suspicion in the Swedish penal system, according to Swedish publications.
Following media claims that the Real Madrid and France star was the suspect after a visit to Stockholm, a Swedish prosecutor announced on Tuesday that a rape probe had been begun without identifying Kylian Mbappe.
Following his two-day vacation to the Nordic city last week, Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, along with public broadcaster SVT, announced on Tuesday that Mbappe, 25, was the subject of the probe.
According to a statement from Sweden’s Prosecution Authority, “the prosecutor can confirm that a criminal report has been submitted to the police in response to media reports about a suspected rape in Stockholm.”
It also stated that the alleged event happened on October 10 at a hotel, but it did not identify a suspect or state that at this time, no more details could be released.
Mbappe was named as the suspect by Expressen on Monday, citing unnamed sources. On Tuesday, Aftonbladet and SVT announced that they had also received information confirming Mbappe’s identity.
Mbappe was “reasonably suspected” of rape and sexual assault, according to Expressen, which is the lower of two suspicion levels in Swedish law.
The higher level of suspicion, known as “probable cause,” is often required before a suspect can be placed under remand in detention before being charged, according to the Prosecution Authority.
Mbappe’s crew denied knowing of a formal complaint against him when AFP contacted them on Monday.
The French international traveled to the Swedish capital last Thursday with a group of people after being left out of his nation’s most recent round of Nations League matches.
They went to a nightclub after dining at a restaurant, according to Aftonbladet. On Friday, Mbappe and the team departed Sweden.
According to Aftonbladet, the complaint was submitted on Saturday following the purported victim’s hospital visit.
A pair of black trousers, a black shirt, and women’s undergarments were among the items of clothes that police had confiscated as evidence, according to a report published by Expressen on Tuesday.
In a post on X on Monday, Mbappe asserted that the Aftonbladet report was connected to his appearance before a French league committee on Tuesday regarding his acrimonious dispute with his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, over what he claims are owed wages.
“FAKE NEWS!!!!!” As if by coincidence, it’s getting so predictable on the eve of the hearing,” Mbappe said on social media.
On Monday, a Paris Saint-Germain insider told AFP that the team will “ignore” Mbappe’s assertion that the Swedish article was connected to his conflict with the team.
“A new slanderous rumor is starting to spread across the web today from the Swedish media Aftonbladet,” Mbappe’s entourage claimed in a statement provided to AFP on Monday.
“These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.” According to the statement, “all necessary legal action will be taken to re-establish the truth”.
Mbappe asserts that the French champions, who are owned by Qatar, owe him 55 million euros ($60 million).
Mbappe claimed he was owed 55 million euros in wages and bonuses when he left for Real Madrid at the end of the previous season, and the French league (LFP) ordered PSG to pay him the money in September.
The committee has the authority to uphold or reverse the LFP’s ruling. Notably, it will include of two representatives from the French national players’ organization, a magistrate, and an independent president.
After seven years at PSG, Mbappe joined Madrid this summer. He has so far avoided trouble in his personal life.
After a brilliant career that started while he was barely in his teens, the forward—who is renowned for meticulously controlling his image through a close network of relatives, attorneys, and spokespeople—has risen to become one of the best paid players in the world.
When France defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the 2018 World Cup, he became the only teenager to score in a final, joining Pele. He was also chosen as the tournament’s Best Young Player.
In the final against Argentina four years later in Qatar, he scored a hat-trick but lost to Lionel Messi‘s team in a penalty shootout.