French footballer Kylian Mbappé shocked by rape accusation, says lawyer

paris - French star footballer Kylian Mbappé is described as 'shocked' by the rape accusation made against him in Sweden, according to local media reports.

According to lawyer Canu-Bernard, her client could not have possibly committed the acts he is accused of, as he is always accompanied and never put in risky situations. 'So that completely rules out any possibility of misconduct on his part,' she stated on TF1.

The lawyer further stated that the footballer is 'calm but shocked' about the allegations and even mentioned that she 'does not even know if the accusations are directed towards him.'

Mbappé has been embroiled in a scandal in Sweden since Monday night. The Real Madrid forward is accused of raping a woman in a hotel, reportedly during a visit to Stockholm with friends last week, as suggested by local media outlets Aftonbladet and Expressen.

The Swedish Public Prosecution Authority confirmed that an investigation has been launched. Expressen reported that the footballer is considered a 'reasonable suspect' in the investigation, the lowest level of suspicion under Swedish law.

'He is particularly calm, but he is shocked by the media hype that has arisen, and he does not understand what he could be directly or indirectly accused of,' said Canu-Bernard. She mentioned planning to file a defamation lawsuit. 'He even left for practice because he has absolutely nothing to blame for,' she added.

Prior to this, Mbappé had already responded on social media to the lawsuit, labeling it as 'fake news' intended to destabilize him ahead of his hearing regarding the financial dispute with Paris Saint-Germain football club.

Delphine Verheyde is defending the footballer in the case against PSG. She was surrounded by journalists on Tuesday, inquiring about the rape case related to Mbappé. 'The complaint in Sweden? I know nothing about it. That was not the news here,' responded Verheyde, refraining from further comments on the accusations in the Swedish press.

French national team coach Didier Deschamps did react to the accusations against Kylian Mbappé. He stated that the media attention is 'not good for the French team' and regrets that the news is 'everywhere'. The coach called for distance and truth finding. 'Be careful when you pick up things. It is better to take a step back before saying everything and anything.'

The coach also mentioned that he has no intention of discussing the matter with his captain. 'He is old enough to know how to communicate.'