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Kylian Mbappé is ‘not to blame’ in Swedish rape investigation, lawyer claims

Kylian Mbappe’s lawyer says the Real Madrid forward believes he is “not to blame” after reports linking him to an alleged rape in Sweden on Thursday.

The claims first emerged after a report in Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet said that Stockholm police were investigating an alleged rape in the city and that officers, as part of the case, had visited the hotel where Mbappe and some friends of his stayed last week.

Swedish prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that a report of rape had been received at a hotel in central Stockholm and that a preliminary investigation was being carried out by chief prosecutor Marina Chirakova.

Mbappe was unavailable to France this international holiday due to fitness issues, and he traveled to Sweden for some time off with friends and family.

According to the Aftonbladet report, police visited the hotel on Monday and Mbappé and his friends left Sweden on Friday. According to him, the police investigation started on Saturday.

This report appeared on Monday and shortly afterwards stories repeating the claims appeared in other media, including in Mbappe’s native France. It prompted the striker to shout “FAKE NEWS!!!” to write. in a post on

Speaking to French television channel TF1, Mbappé’s lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard said she did not even know if Mbappé was the subject of the rape charges.

But she insisted her client was “serene” about his situation.

She said: “He is never alone. He has never been exposed to a situation where a risk would be taken for him. For this reason, this completely rules out the possibility that he could have committed reprehensible acts. That is an absolute certainty.

‘He is extremely serene, but he is completely surprised to see this kind of media storm. He does not understand at all what can be blamed on him, from up close or from a distance.”

Asked whether Mbappé would submit to the Swedish legal system, the complaint has been filed against him, Canu-Bernard said: “If that was the case, of course. But today he once again showed absolute calm and he also started training, because he has absolutely nothing to blame.”

In his message on X Monday, Mbappe also wrote: “It becomes so predictable, the day before the hearing, as if it were a coincidence.”

This appeared to refer to an appeal hearing due to take place the following day (Tuesday) in the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) – the governing body that runs France’s two biggest football leagues.

The appeal followed an earlier ruling by the LFP in a dispute between Mbappé and his former club Paris Saint-Germain. The LFP ruled that PSG are liable to pay Mbappe €55 million, with the striker claiming he is owed in salary deductions and bonuses from his time at the club (2018-2024).

A PSG source – who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their relationship – reacted angrily to Mbappe’s post when contacted by The Athleticsdescribing it as “incredibly serious” and “disgraceful”.

A statement from Mbappe’s entourage read: “Under no circumstances will Kylian Mbappe tolerate his integrity, reputation and honor being tarnished by unfounded insinuations.

“To put an end to this methodical destruction of his image, all necessary legal steps will be taken to establish the truth and prosecute any person or media outlet involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappé has repeatedly suffered suffers.”

(Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)