Accused of attempted rape, handball player Benoît Kounkoud “firmly contests” “seriously false” accusations

The French right winger disputes the charges against him. dpa – Federico Gambarini

Handball player Benoît Kounkoud, accused by a 20-year-old woman of having attempted to rape her in a Parisian nightclub on the night of Monday to Tuesday, "strongly contests" these accusations are "seriously false", his lawyer said Thursday.

Less than 48 hours after being crowned European champion with the French team in Cologne (Germany), the right winger was placed in custody seen Tuesday in Paris for attempted rape, then released Wednesday during the day.

Benoît Kounkoud "came out free from police custody and without any obligation", underlined his counsel Me Mario Stasi in a press release sent to AFP.

In front of the investigators, he added, the player, who is 26 years old, "was able to make his version of the facts heard on an evening without violence of any kind, in contrast to the slanderous denunciations of which he was unjustly subjected and without any objective element of the file – hearings of witnesses and viewing of videos – having come to invalidate his statements".

A woman born in March 2003

Me Stasi warned that his client "would not hesitate" to "enforce the presumption of innocence" from which he benefits, and this "through any legal procedure" . After the release of his police custody, the Paris prosecutor's office indicated that investigations were continuing, "in particular in order to collect more testimonies" .

At this stage, according to the public prosecutor, "a woman born in March 2003 accuses him of attempted rape, during an alcoholic evening in a nightclub in the 8th arrondissement".< /p>

No comments for his club and the Federation

In a press release released before the lifting of police custody, the Polish club Kielce, where Kounkoud has been playing since 2022, declared taking "l&#39 ;business seriously and (condemn) any behavior that violates the rules of social life.

"The club will take all appropriate measures once it has received official information regarding the incident. Pending clarification, the matter will not be subject to any comment", added Kielce, one of the very best European teams, victorious in the Champions League in 2016 and finalist for the last two seasons.

Also read: What we know about the Kounkoud affair, suspected of attempted rape in a nightclub after the Blues' coronation at the Euro

For its part, the French Handball Federation indicated that it was "not in a position to comment on this matter, this stage" and added that'she remained "attentive to the follow-up that will be given by the judicial authorities".