Real Madrid remove Kylian Mbappe from promotions amid rape case

As the controversy surrounding the striker intensified, Real Madrid photoshopped Kylian Mbappe from the pictures promoting their newest apparel line. The French player was noticeably left out of a promotional photo that Real Madrid produced as part of their "The Artist Pack" collection, which aims to highlight the team's charity foundation that funds athletic and social initiatives for poor areas.

However, if teammate Jude Bellingham hadn't posted, the omission probably would have gone missed. On his Instagram, the 21-year-old posted an unaltered copy of the photo that included Mbappe. The English midfielder quickly removed the post, but not before astute supporters saw the change.

Sports Zone reports indicate that a conflict between conflicting sponsorship agreements led to Mbappe's exclusion. Because of the campaign's connection to Adidas, the official sponsor of Real Madrid's uniform, Mbappe was removed from his position as a Nike ambassador. The fact that Eduardo Camavinga, another player sponsored by Nike, was included in the campaign despite Mbappe's exclusion begs the issue of why the choice was made.

After overcoming an injury concern that forced him to miss the most recent international break with France's national team, Mbappe is anticipated to play in Real Madrid's matchup versus Celta Vigo this Saturday. The forward might be added back to the squad for the UEFA Champions League game versus Borussia Dortmund a few days later if he loses the race against time.

Does this promotion axe related to the rape case against Mbappe?

For Kylian Mbappé, who has been involved in a protracted scandal, this story arrives at a bad moment. RMC Sport reported on Sunday that police had begun an investigation into a possible rape at a hotel where the Frenchman had been staying earlier this week, according to Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet. 

In contrast to an Expressen article published later that evening, this report failed to identify Mbappé as the focus of the police inquiry. While the Swedish prosecutors acknowledged the inquiry but made no mention of Mbappé, Mbappé's entourage informed AFP that they were not aware that he was the focus of any inquiries.