By Victor Kanayo
An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm, which Swedish media claimed targeted Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, has been closed due to insufficient evidence, the Swedish prosecutor said on Thursday.
The 25-year-old French star, one of the highest-profile players in world football, visited the Swedish capital from 9 to 11 October with a group of people after he was not selected by his country for a Nations League match.
Sweden’s prosecution authority announced on 15 October that it was investigating an alleged incident at an upscale Stockholm hotel on 10 October, without mentioning the suspect by name.
Several Swedish media outlets, including newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen and public broadcaster SVT, identified Mbappé as the suspect.
“My assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed, and the investigation is therefore closed,” prosecutor Marina Chirakova said in a statement, which also did not mention Mbappé by name.
Chirakova stated that the suspect had “not been notified of suspicion of a crime”.
Mbappé’s lawyer said in October that he was “shocked” to see his name linked to the investigation.
Speaking about the case for the first time on Sunday, Mbappé told French television show Clique that he was “not involved”.
“I haven’t received anything, no summons… I’m not involved,” he said.
According to Aftonbladet, Mbappé and his entourage dined at a restaurant one evening before going on to a nightclub.
