France coach Didier Deschamps breaks silence on Kylian Mbappe’s rape accusation

France coach Didier Deschamps said a report claiming captain Kylian Mbappe was being investigated for rape in Sweden is ‘not a good thing for the national team’, after the player himself dismissed the allegations as ‘fake news’.

“Everyone is free to write whatever he or she wants, but there is a negative atmosphere” around the France team, Deschamps told reporters after his team’s 2-1 win over Belgium in the UEFA Nations League last night.

His comments came in response to questions about Mbappe, the France captain who was allowed to sit out the team’s matches this month to work on his fitness.

That was already a source of controversy in the run-up to last Thursday’s victory against Israel, before a newspaper in Sweden claimed on Monday that the Real Madrid forward was being investigated for rape after a visit to Stockholm.

After Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported that an alleged rape had been reported 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.

“It’s better to take a step back before publishing anything, but these things happen so often,” he said, appearing to cast doubt on the report.

The footballer was visiting Sweden with friends from Wednesday to Friday last week and stayed at the Bank Hotel in the city center

France head coach Didier Deschamps attends a press conference after the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League A Group A2 match between France and Belgium

Kylian Mbappé has dismissed the allegations against him as fake news

Deschamps added: ‘There are things that are not difficult to verify, but if you attribute something old…

‘I’m certainly not going to talk to him about it. It’s big enough to communicate.’

The footballer was visiting Sweden with friends from Wednesday to Friday last week and stayed 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 eventually returning to his hotel with his entourage in a black van.

Aftonbladet reported that police were investigating a rape at the hotel in central Stockholm, which allegedly took place on Thursday evening.

But Mbappe shared a newspaper article about the alleged rape on X, writing: ‘Fake News! It becomes so predictable, right before the hearing as if it were a coincidence,” referring to a hearing as part of his battle against his former club PSG over £46 million in unpaid wages and bonuses that will take place today.

Mbappe’s entourage said in a statement to AFP: ‘Today a new defamatory rumor begins to spread across the internet from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.

“These allegations are completely false and irresponsible, and their spread is unacceptable.

‘To put an end to this methodical destruction of (the) image (of Kylian Mbappe), all necessary legal steps will be taken to restore the truth and prosecute any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappé suffers repeatedly,” the statement said.

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.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reports that police are investigating a rape at the central Stockholm Bank Hotel (photo) where Mbappé was staying, which allegedly took place on Thursday evening.

But Mbappé shared a newspaper article about the alleged rape on X and wrote: ‘Fake News!’

On Thursday, the Real Madrid star visited the Chez Jolie restaurant (pictured left after leaving the restaurant with his friends), before heading to the V nightclub and eventually returning to his hotel with his entourage in a black van.

According to Aftonbladet, investigators and a forensic unit were at the scene of the crime on Monday.

The newspaper reported that the alarm was raised about the alleged rape when the woman “sought care” at a local hospital.

Mbappé left Sweden’s Bromma Airport on a private jet on Friday.

The prosecutor in charge of the rape investigation declined to comment on the case, telling local media: “I will not say anything about this.”

Stockholm police issued a similar statement to MailOnline through spokesperson Carina Skagerlind: “The police can neither confirm nor deny such a case.”

According to Aftonbladet, no suspects have yet been named in the case.

MailOnline has contacted the local public prosecutor’s office and the Bank Hotel for comment.