PSG have reacted angrily after Kylian Mbappe appeared to accuse his former club of having some involvement in spreading rape allegations that he has dismissed as ‘baseless’ and ‘fake’.
According to local media reports, Mbappe was accused of rape and sexual harassment at a Swedish hotel that he stayed at with friends last week.
Mbappe hit back at the reports on X on Monday afternoon, as he posted: ‘FAKE NEWS! It’s becoming so predictable, just before the hearing as if by chance,’ alongside a winking face emoji.
Mbappe’s post appeared to be a dig at PSG amid his ongoing payment dispute with the Ligue 1 giants. The French superstar is chasing almost £50m in unpaid wages and bonuses after leaving PSG in the summer to join Real Madrid, and a meeting between Mbappe, PSG and the appeals committee is due to take place on Tuesday.
PSG have now responded by blasting Mbappe’s ‘shameful’ comments.
Kylian Mbappe appeared to accuse PSG of spreading rumours about him after he was reportedly accused of rape at a Swedish hotel
PSG – headed by owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi – vowed to keep their ‘dignity’ amid their ongoing dispute with their former player
‘It’s a shame. We will keep our class and our dignity,’ a source close to PSG said, as quoted by RMC Sport.
‘PSG is responsible for everything with him. He didn’t score any goals (apart from penalties) for Madrid? It’s PSG. He missed the French national team matches….. even though he says he did, but he’s not injured? It’s PSG.
‘PSG are now making up stories in Sweden. We will ignore it and keep our class.’
Mbappe was in Sweden last week after being left out of France’s national team squad for the current international break due to a recent injury setback.
France manager Didier Deschamps insisted Mbappe had been omitted as a precaution to prevent him from suffering any more fitness issues.
Mbappe’s entourage also released a statement in response to the accusations made against the footballer in Sweden as they vowed to take legal action to clear his name.
In a statement sent to AFP, they wrote: ‘Today, a new slanderous rumour begins to set the web ablaze, starting from the Swedish media Aftonbladet.
‘These accusations are totally false and irresponsible, and their propagation is unacceptable.
In order to put an end to this methodical destruction of (Kylian Mbappe’s) image, all necessary legal actions will be taken to reestablish the truth and pursue any person or media involved in the moral harassment and defamatory treatment that Kylian Mbappe repeatedly suffers.’
The statement did not make any mention of PSG having any involvement in the allegations, but Mbappe’s X post has threatened to further sour his relationship with his old club.
Mbappe believes he is owed around £50m in unpaid wages and bonuses by PSG
But PSG are refusing to pay Mbappe and the dispute is now set to be settled in court
Mbappe departed PSG on a free transfer when his contract expired at the end of last season after seven years at the club to make his dream move to Madrid.
He has since alleged that he is owed around £50m in wages and bonuses, and the LFP, French professional football’s governing body, ordered PSG to pay that amount as they made a ruling on the dispute last month.
However, PSG have refused to make the payment and the explosive saga is now due to be settled in court.
