Associated Press
Dec 12, 2024, 09:29 AM
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Swedish prosecutors on Thursday dropped a rape investigation that was launched in connection with football star Kylian Mbappé's visit to Stockholm in October.
ESPN had previously reported that Mbappé's representatives said the allegations of rape were "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour."
In a statement, lead investigator Marina Chirakova said there was not enough evidence to continue the investigation, which centered on an incident at a hotel in the Swedish capital.
"During the course of the investigation, there has been a designated person suspected on reasonable grounds of rape and two cases of sexual assault, but my assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed," Chirakova said. "The designated person has not been notified of suspicion of a crime."
A rape investigation against Kylian Mbappé has been dropped. Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press via Getty Images
Prosecutors never publicly named the suspect in the investigation, but many Swedish media reported that it was Real Madrid striker Mbappé, who visited Stockholm in October during a break in the Spanish league.
At the time Mbappé's legal team dismissed those reports as false.
Mbappe's lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard and the player's representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comments on Thursday.