Kylian Mbappe ‘shocked’ to see name linked to rape investigation in Sweden – lawyer

PARIS, France (AFP) – Kylian Mbappe was “shocked” to see his name linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, his lawyer told AFP on Tuesday.

The France captain, however, is “calm” because “he did nothing wrong”, said lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.

A Swedish prosecutor said on Tuesday that a rape investigation had been opened without mentioning Mbappe, following media reports that the Real Madrid and France star was the suspect following a visit by friends to Stockholm.

Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, and public broadcaster SVT, reported that Mbappe, 25, was the target of the investigation, following his two-day visit to the Nordic capital last week.

Mbappe’s lawyer Canu-Bernard said the player was “not aware of the extent of the media frenzy but is completely calm and does not understand what he could be accused of.”

“He is surprised to learn that this might worry him. He preferred to go to training and asked my office not to leave things as they are because it is impossible to allow yourself to be slandered and defamed in this way.

“This is the reason we are going to file a defamation complaint.”

The lawyer said she could neither confirm nor deny Swedish media claims that Mbappe was the suspect.

“We read the press,” Canu-Bernard said. “The Stockholm Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement, but it does not allow us to know whether Kylian Mbappe is the target.

“Therefore, I have no information that would allow me to confirm whether this is indeed a complaint filed against him.”