Didier Deschamps, the coach of France, responded to a story that claimed Kylian Mbappe is being looked into for r@pe in Sweden.
‘Everyone is free to write what they want but there is a negative atmosphere’ around the French team, Deschamps told reporters following his team’s 2-1 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League last night.
French Coach Didier Deschamps Addresses Kylian Mbappe’s Alleged R@pe Accusation
His comments came in response to questions about Mbappe, the France skipper who was allowed to sit out the team’s games this month in order to work on his fitness.
After Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that an alleged r@pe had been reported to police but did not say who was accused, another publication, Expressen, said 25-year-old Mbappe was the suspect.
‘Be careful when you pick things up,’ Deschamps warned.
‘You had better take a bit of a step back before publishing anything and everything, but these things happen so often,’ he said, appearing to cast doubt on the report.
Deschamps added: ‘There are things that are not difficult to verify, but if you credit any old thing…
In any case, I am not going to talk to him about it. He is big enough to know how to communicate.’
The footballer was visiting Sweden with friends from Wednesday to Friday last week, staying at the Bank Hotel in the city centre.
On Thursday, the Real Madrid star visited the Chez Jolie restaurant, before heading to the V nightclub and finally back to his hotel in a black van with his entourage.
Aftonbladet reported that police were investigating a rape at the central Stockholm hotel, which allegedly happened Thursday night.
But Mbappe shared a newspaper article on the alleged rape on X and wrote: ‘Fake News! It’s becoming so predictable, just before the hearing as if by chance,’ referring to a hearing as part of his fight against his former club PSG over £46million in unpaid wages and bonuses that is set to take place today.
Mbappe’s entourage said in a statement sent to AFP: ‘Today, a new slanderous rumour is starting to spread across the web from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.
‘These accusations are completely false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.
‘In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappe), 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 Mbappe is suffering repeatedly,’ the statement added.
A source close to Paris Saint-Germain told AFP it would ‘ignore’ Mbappe’s claim that there was a link between the report in Sweden and his dispute with the club.