Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti says Kylian Mbappe is “happy” and unaffected by reports linking him to an alleged rape in Sweden last week.
The claims first emerged after a report in Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet said Stockholm police were investigating an alleged rape in the city and that, as part of the case, officers had visited the hotel where Mbappe and some friends of his stayed last week.
Swedish prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday that a report of rape in a hotel in central Stockholm had been received and that a preliminary investigation was being carried out by senior prosecutor Marina Chirakova.
Mbappe did not play for France during the international break due to fitness concerns. He instead travelled to Sweden with friends and family for some leisure time.
The Aftonbladet report said police visited the hotel on Monday and that Mbappe and his friends left Sweden on Friday. It added the police investigation was put in motion on Saturday.
This report appeared on Monday and, soon after, stories repeating the claims appeared in other media, including in Mbappe’s native France. It prompted the striker to write “FAKE NEWS!!!” in a post on X, referencing one of several articles that were published.
“I speak to the players every day,” Ancelotti said on Friday ahead of Madrid’s trip to Celta Vigo. “I can comment on what I said before: at the moment it’s speculation. I see the player every day and he is happy, I don’t see him affected at all.
“He has taken advantage of the break to improve his condition a lot and recover from his injury. He’s happy, he wants to play tomorrow and be important for the team. I see him close to 100 per cent physically and mentally, he’s doing very well. It’s a pleasure to see him training.”
(Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Speaking to French television station TF1 on Tuesday, Mbappe lawyer’s Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard claimed she did not even know whether Mbappe was the subject of the alleged rape complaint.
She said: “He’s never alone. He’s never exposed to finding himself in a situation where there would be, for him, a risk being taken. So for this reason, this totally excludes the fact that he could have performed reprehensible actions. That’s an absolute certainty.”
A statement from Mbappe’s entourage also read: “Kylian Mbappe will not tolerate under any circumstances his integrity, reputation and honour being tarnished by unfounded insinuations.
“To put an end to this methodical destruction of his image, all necessary legal actions will be taken to establish the truth and pursue each person or media outlet implicated in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe repeatedly suffers.”
If you would like to talk to someone having read this article, please try Rape Crisis in the UK or Rainn in the U.S.
(Top photo: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
