Rape inquiry linked by Swedish media to Mbappé closed

Prosecutors in Sweden have closed an inquiry into a case of alleged rape, which Swedish media had linked to French football captain Kylian Mbappé.

Marina Chirakova, of the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said the investigation into an alleged attack reported to have taken place in Stockholm had ended due to a lack of evidence.

The Real Madrid player, one of football's most high-profile stars, was never formally named by Swedish prosecutors or notified by them of being under suspicion of a crime.

In October, when the allegations surfaced, Mbappé's lawyer said her client was preparing to clear his name with a claim for defamation. Mbappé previously described the reports as "fake news".

Senior prosecutor Ms Chirakova, who headed the preliminary investigation, deemed the evidence "not sufficient to proceed further, and the investigation is therefore closed".

The alleged rape and two cases of sexual harassment reportedly took place in a hotel in the Swedish capital on 10 October.

Several Swedish media outlets, including newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, and public broadcaster SVT, named Mbappé as a suspect.

He had been visiting Stockholm at the time.

Police were seen visiting the Bank hotel where he had stayed, with officers later leaving with bags. One report said they had taken clothing from the hotel in evidence.

On Sunday, speaking for the first time about the case on French TV show Clique, Mbappé said he was "not involved".

"I haven't received anything, no summons... I'm not involved."

His lawyer previously condemned the Swedish media reports as defamatory and said that nothing was known of the complaint.

"[Mbappé] is never alone. He is never put in a position where he ends up in a situation that would lead to him taking a risk," Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard said.

The Real Madrid forward this week scored his 50th Champions League goal. He transferred from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) earlier this year.

He won the World Cup as a teenager, in 2018, in Russia and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar - which France lost on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina.

At PSG, he was part of a superstar trio with Messi and Brazilian forward Neymar.

Last year, the Paris-born star finished in third place for the Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player prizes.