File photo of Kylian Mbappe© AFP
Kylian Mbappe said Monday he was the victim of "fake news" after a Swedish newspaper reported an investigation had been opened for rape following a visit by the Real Madrid star's entourage to Stockholm. Mbappe claimed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there was a link between the report in the Aftonbladet newspaper and his hearing before a French league committee on Tuesday in his bitter dispute over unpaid wages with his former club Paris Saint-Germain.
"FAKE NEWS !!!!. It's becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance," Mbappe posted. The 25-year-old player's entourage called the report a "slanderous rumour" and threatened to take legal action.
FAKE NEWS !!!!
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 14, 2024
Ça en devient tellement prévisible, veille d'audience comme par hasard https://t.co/nQN98mtyzR
Mbappe claims he is owed 55 million euros ($60 million) by the Qatari-owned French champions. The 2018 World Cup winner was not selected for France's Nations League fixtures last week, and spent Thursday and Friday in the Swedish capital.
On Thursday, Mbappe and a group of people accompanying him dined at a restaurant, then went to a nightclub, according to Aftonbladet's report.
The newspaper said a rape was committed "in Stockholm city centre", citing a formal complaint made to police on Saturday that it had seen. Aftonbladet said the complaint was made after the alleged victim had sought medical attention but did not say who was named in the accusation.
A prosecutor investigating the accusation told AFP: "A probe is under way into a crime that was reported on October 10 in the centre of Stockholm."
Swedish police refused 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 spokeswoman Carina Skagerlind.
The Swedish newspaper published photos on its website on Monday showing police officers in front of the hotel where Mbappe and the group with him had stayed.
Mbappe's entourage said in a statement sent to AFP: "Today, a new slanderous rumour 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 Mbappe), all necessary legal actions will be taken to re-establish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe is suffering repeatedly," the statement added.
A source close to Paris Saint-Germain told AFP it would "ignore" Mbappe's claim that there was a link between the report in Sweden and his dispute with the club. Mbappe joined Madrid in the summer after seven years at PSG.