Kylian Mbappé's legal representative announces intent to initiate litigation against the Swedish press due to rape accusations.
Various Swedish news sources, such as Swedish public broadcaster SVT and CNN affiliate Expressen, who base their claims on "obtained documents," and Expressen specifically citing a police report, have alleged that Mbappe is "suspected on reasonable grounds" of sexual assault after a night out in Stockholm on October 10 and subsequent overnight stay at a hotel.
Swedish authorities define "suspicion on reasonable grounds" as a situation in which "there are certain circumstances that suggest, to some degree, that the person concerned may have committed the act."
Swedish prosecutors declared on Tuesday that a criminal report had been submitted following media reports concerning a potential sexual assault incident in Stockholm on October 10.
The Swedes' press release did not specify any particular individuals.
When contacted by CNN, prosecutors declined to provide additional information.
In response to similar accusations on a social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), the 25-year-old labelled the reports as "FALSE NEWS." RMC Sport, a French outlet, subsequently removed its initial post.
"A malicious rumor is spreading like wildfire across the internet, originating from Swedish media outlets AFTONBLADET and EXPRESEN," stated Mbappe's representative to CNN through a public relations firm on Tuesday.
They asserted that these allegations were completely fabricated and reckless, and their dissemination was unacceptable. Kylian Mbappe will not tolerate under any circumstances his reputation and honor being tarnished by unsubstantiated insinuations.
To put an end to this systematic tarnishing of his image, all appropriate legal measures will be taken to restore the truth and pursue any individuals or media outlets responsible for the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe repeatedly endures.
Mbappe's lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, appeared on French TV's TF1 that night to defend her client.
Canu-Bernard referred to the reports as a "slanderous denunciation" of Mbappe.
She mentioned that he attended training on the following day and described the Frenchman as being "completely calm" in the face of the allegations.
However, she added, "He is utterly astonished by the media frenzy and struggles to comprehend what could potentially be linked to him from a distance or up close."
She continued, "We're talking about a complaint, a complaint that has been submitted – but at this stage, we do not know against whom. A complaint does not equate to the truth."
The Real Madrid star did not participate in France's previous two UEFA Nations League matches, resulting in victories against Israel and Belgium.
CNN attempted to contact Real Madrid for a comment.
According to AFP, Mbappe visited Stockholm last week and spent October 10 in the Swedish capital.
CNN’s Henrik Pettersson, Jill Martin, David Close and Patrick Sung contributed to this report
The Swedish prosecutors considered a situation to be "suspicion on reasonable grounds" when there are circumstances suggesting, to some degree, that a person may have committed an act.
Despite the media accusations, Kylian Mbappe's lawyer referred to the reports as a "complaint," emphasizing that it does not equate to the truth.
