Swedish prosecutors said they have closed a rape investigation that was launched into France football star Kylian Mbappe’s visit to Stockholm in October.
Lead investigator, Marina Chirakova, in a statement, explained that there was not sufficient evidence to continue the investigation, which focused 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,” Ms Chirakova said.
“The designated person has not been notified of suspicion of a crime.”
Prosecutors did not publicly mention the suspect in the investigation, but some Swedish media reported that it was Real Madrid striker Mbappe, who visited Stockholm in October during a break in the Spanish league.
During the period, Mbappe’s legal team debunked those reports labelling them 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.
Speaking in an interview that aired on Sunday on French TV station Canal Plus, Mbappe said he was “surprised” by the reports that he was the subject of a rape investigation and he had not been contacted by Swedish authorities.
“These are things that come into your life like that, you can’t see them coming,” Mbappe told Canal Plus.
“It’s just incomprehension. I don’t think it weighed on me in the sense that I have never considered myself involved.”
The 25-year-old athlete was seen in Stockholm on October 10 during an international break, opting out of representing France in the Nations League.
A few days later, Swedish media reported that he had become the subject of a rape investigation.
