Lyon's French international striker Bafetimbi Gomis on Wednesday denied involvement in an alleged rape, and confirmed that he has not been arrested by police.
"I formally deny the accusations that have been made against me and, contrary to what has been written, I absolutely did not spend the night in police custody. Thanks for all your support," Gomis wrote on his Facebook page and also on Twitter.
Earlier on Wednesday, a police official in Lyon told AFP that two OL players were the subject of an investigation into the rape of a 38-year-old woman.
Gomis was the only player named, but had not yet been questioned.
The official said: "A statement was made to police at the end of the evening, but the victim has not lodged a complaint nor been interviewed by police."
The police statement followed reports of the alleged incident in local media.
According to the Lyon Capitale website the "incident took place between 0100 and 0230 (local time) early on Wednesday morning after a 38-year-old woman was invited to Gomis's apartment along with another, non-identified player".
The report added: "The woman accuses both players of rape. She revealed everything to a friend who came to pick her up in the middle of the night."
Police have confirmed they are probing the allegations, but said neither suspect had been questioned -- as several media reports have claimed.
Prosecutors in Lyon said they would not make any comment until later on Wednesday afternoon.
Gomis, 26, began his career at Lyon's bitter rivals Saint-Etienne before moving to the Stade de Gerland for 15 million euros ($18.8m) in 2009.
He has been capped five times by France, and was part of Les Bleus' squad at Euro 2008, but was not picked by Laurent Blanc for this summer's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine.
It is not the first time top players in the French league have been accused of rape.
Marseille striker Brandao, a Brazilian, was charged with rape on March 9, 2011.
He was accused of raping a 24-year-old woman whom he had met in a nightclub.
He was granted bail and subsequently loaned to Brazilian club Cruzeiro before returning to the French club in January.
Source: AFP
