Achraf Hakimi to Face Trial for Rape Charge
A French court has ruled that Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain defender and captain of Morocco’s national team, will face trial on a rape charge, setting up a high-profile legal battle around one of the sport’s most recognisable full-backs.
The decision, confirmed on Friday, keeps the 27-year-old under formal judicial scrutiny but does not amount to a verdict on guilt. No trial date has yet been set by the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
Hakimi, currently with the Moroccan squad as they prepare for their second World Cup match against Scotland, responded publicly on X. He denied the allegations and said he was “eagerly awaiting” the chance to appear in court, stressing that the proceedings would finally allow him “to speak”.
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.
Her account, as relayed by that source, is stark. She said Hakimi ordered a taxi to bring her to his home. Once there, she claimed, he kissed her, touched her without her consent and then raped her. She told police she managed to push him away and send a message to a friend, who came to collect her.
Hakimi has consistently rejected the accusations.
His lawyer, Fanny Colin, framed Friday’s ruling as a procedural step rather than a turning point in the case. “This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” she said.
On the other side, the complainant’s legal team welcomed the court’s stance. Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, described the decision as a source of “relief and hope” for her client.
The woman, who uses the pseudonym “Jeanne”, chose to speak to the press for the first time this week. In an interview published Thursday by Mediapart, she explained why she wants the case to go to trial.
She said she is seeking a courtroom setting “to defend myself, to be heard”. Her words were simple, but heavy with intent: “I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me.”
With the legal process now locked on a path to trial and no date yet on the calendar, the case will continue to shadow both Hakimi’s club career at PSG and his role at the heart of Morocco’s national team.
