Mbappé cited in rape investigation: new revelations from Swedish newspaper

While a rape investigation has been opened for events that allegedly occurred in the hotel where Kylian Mbappé was staying during his trip to Stockholm last week, the captain of the Bleus who has withdrawn from the match is reportedly the target of the accusations and “reasonably suspect” according to the Swedish press.

Kylian Mbappé's escapade to Sweden last Thursday continues to be talked about. The Frenchman made a brief stopover in the Nordic country, to enjoy his free time while he was not due to attend the French team's training session. Enough to provoke the ire of Les Bleus supporters, already annoyed to have seen him play with Real Madrid a few days earlier. Here is now that a rape investigation has been opened into the hotel where the attacker was staying with his friends after their nightclubbing trip. The hotel where the incident allegedly took place was raided by Swedish police after a complaint was filed. But no information concerning the identity of the complainant has filtered through.

If the question of a link between Kylian Mbappé and the rape investigation arose yesterday, the Swedish press provided initial answers. According to the newspaperExpressen, the French attacker appears to be “reasonably suspicious” under Swedish criminal law, meaning that concrete circumstances strongly suggest that a person committed the acts of which he is accused. This is the lowest level of suspicion provided for by the Swedish justice system.

Kylian Mbappé denounced a “fake news” about him yesterday evening, and seemed to suspect a plot while his conflict with PSG continues and a meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 15 with the club before the joint appeals committee of the Professional Football League (LFP). An accusation, unsurprisingly, poorly received by his former club. “It's a disgrace,” was the reaction from The Team, before it was finally a question of taking a step back: “We're going to ignore it and keep our class.”

In a press release published a little later on Monday evening, Kylian Mbappé's entourage expressed their annoyance. "Today, a new slanderous rumor begins to set the web ablaze, starting from the Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet” is asked, before the accusations are deemed “totally false and irresponsible” and their propagation “unacceptable”. And the player's entourage threatens: “In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of [Kylian Mbappé's] image, 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 Mbappé undergoes repeatedly."

After their evening, Kylian Mbappé and his relatives left Stockholm on Friday afternoon, heading for Ajaccio. The investigation was only launched on Saturday, following a report collected by the police from the alleged victim. The newspaper Aftonbladet, which had already published photos of the player in the streets of Stockholm last Thursday, assures that he wanted to contact the representatives of the French player.

A night that leaves a stain

While Mbappéé has published a message of support for his partners before the kick-off of France Israel on Thursday 10 October (“Good match”), the Frenchman was therefore in Sweden and not resting or getting treatment. The newspaper Aftonbladet published several photos of  Mbappé, masked and wearing a hat, in the streets of the Swedish capital, accompanied by friends, including Nordi Mukiele, his former PSG teammate.  Mbappé is said to have gone to the restaurant “Chez Jolie”, a luxury establishment specializing in French cuisine. Then  the small group was then photographed going up to board a black van, to head to the V***** nightclub, in the Stureplan district. According to some witnesses on site, the player had privatized a space.

Asked about the subject, Didier Deschamps had indicated that there was no controversy to be found in this evening. “What a subject on Mbappé” ? He's not here, eh! From a regulatory point of view, he does purely what he wants, from a private point of view too. Everyone will have their own perception. Maybe Aurelien (Tchouaméni) is aware of his club's schedule and that of Mbappé and knows if he is free to go… That doesn't mean he didn't watch the match, didn't send messages, me too”, assured the coach of the Blues.

Latest updates

10:00 – Explanation of the term “reasonably suspect”

“Reasonable suspicion is the lowest level of suspicion. This means that there are concrete circumstances that strongly suggest that the person has committed the act to which the suspicion refers,” the Swedish police explain. The concept of “reasonably suspicious” is weaker than that of “suspicious on probable cause” in which “the suspicions against a person appear objectively justified and are based on evidence on a case-by-case basis,” the text explains again. Which is not the case for "reasonably suspicious" où the notion of proof does not appear here.

09:10 – "Info or intox", I don't know lance Deschamps

“Right now, it's coming out everywhere, anyhow. Info, misinformation, I don't know, it's difficult. It's big enough to communicate. We have an environment that is very negative. You have to be careful when you take things up. I'm not going to say that I know because I don't know. It's better to take a step back before saying anything. However, there are things that are not difficult to verify. But if you give credit to just anyone. I'm taking a step back but it's not a good thing for the “France team” conceded Didier Deschamps.

08:56 – Mbappé's entourage not aware

According to Le Figaro, which cites AFP, Kylian Mbappá's entourage is not aware of the rape complaint against Kylian Mbappá.

08:45 – Stockholm police did not wish to confirm

Contacted by AFP, Stockholm police did not wish to “confirm or deny” this information. “Generally speaking, if we have received a complaint and decided to conduct interviews and we make this known (to the public), it is possible that the people involved in the case will take measures that delay and complicate the investigation,” said spokesperson Carina Skagerlind.

08:10 – What we know about the complaint and its author

The person claiming to have been raped filed a complaint on Saturday, October 12 with a police department. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet claims to have read the document. The events she denounces allegedly took place in the hotel in downtown Stockholm where Kylian Mbappé and his team were staying on the night of October 10 to 11. This person is said to have gone to a hospital in the Swedish capital to have possible physical injuries or psychological trauma caused by the rape she allegedly suffered recorded. She was reportedly interviewed by the police the following day before filing a complaint. Apart from this information on the victim's supposed background, no details on the victim's identity have been released at this time.

Kylian Mbappé would be the person targeted by the rape accusations and the investigation opened after the filing of a complaint in Stockholm. According to information from the Swedish newspaper Expressen, the French player is considered “reasonably suspicious” in this case. This is the lowest level of suspicion in Swedish criminal law, but that concrete circumstances suggest that a person has committed the acts with which he is charged.