Achraf Hakimi to Stand Trial for Rape Charges
A French court has confirmed that Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain defender and captain of Morocco, will face trial on a rape charge, a decision that pushes one of football’s most high-profile names into the full glare of a criminal courtroom.
Hakimi, 27, has denied the allegations from the outset and reacted publicly after the ruling. In a post on X, he said he was “eagerly awaiting” the trial, insisting it would finally allow him “to speak” and lay out his version of events.
The case dates back to February 2023. A woman, then 24, went to police in the Val-de-Marne region, southeast of Paris, and accused Hakimi of raping her. According to a police source at the time, she told investigators she had first made contact with the player on Instagram in January 2023.
Their exchanges led to a meeting at Hakimi’s home, the woman said, after travelling there in a taxi ordered by the player. She alleged that once inside, he kissed her, touched her without consent and then raped her. She told police she managed to push him away and send a text message to a friend, who came to pick her up.
Hakimi, a key figure for PSG and the standard-bearer of Moroccan football, has consistently rejected the accusations. His legal team framed Friday’s ruling as a procedural step rather than a judgment on his conduct.
“This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” his lawyer, Fanny Colin, said, underlining that the presumption of innocence still stands as the case moves forward.
On the other side, the decision landed very differently. For the woman at the centre of the case, the court’s move to send the matter to trial marked a significant moment.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said the ruling brought her client “relief and hope”, a sign that her complaint will now be fully examined in open court.
After months of silence, the woman chose to speak publicly for the first time this week. In an article published by Mediapart on Thursday, and using the pseudonym “Jeanne,” she explained why she wanted the case to be heard by a criminal court.
She said she was seeking a trial “to defend myself, to be heard.” The words were stark, stripped of embellishment. “I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me,” she added.
For now, no date has been set for the start of proceedings at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department, leaving both sides waiting for a timetable that will shape the next chapter of a case that stretches far beyond football.
Hakimi remains an active player for club and country, with Morocco in the middle of their World Cup campaign and preparing for their second match against Scotland. The contrast is striking: a defender celebrated for his surging runs down the right flank, now preparing for a very different kind of scrutiny, in a very different kind of arena.
