Achraf Hakimi to Stand Trial for Rape, French Appeals Court Confirms

A French appeals court has confirmed that PSG and Morocco full-back Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case, lawyers announced.

The defender, who is currently playing for Morocco at the World Cup and won the Champions League for a second consecutive year with PSG in May, had appealed a February decision by an investigative judge. That ruling followed recommendations from public prosecutors that Hakimi should face trial.

The Versailles appeals court’s decision was released shortly before Morocco's Group C match against Scotland. The African side had previously drawn 1-1 with Brazil in their opening game.

Hakimi, widely considered one of the world's top right-backs, denies any wrongdoing. He faced preliminary charges of rape in March 2023 after a 24-year-old woman alleged she was raped by Hakimi at his home in a Paris suburb.

Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, stated that after more than three years of legal proceedings, "and after being defamed and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defence," the court's decision "brings my client a sense of relief and hope." Pardo added in a statement, "Relief that she has been heard by the justice system and will have her case heard at trial." She also expressed, "Hope that this trial will help other women and further weaken the fortress of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including within the world of men’s football.”

Hakimi claimed in a message posted on X on Friday that his case would have been dismissed if he had not been famous, stating that he sometimes feels he has become "an easy target." He wrote, "Justice looked me in the eye and told me: ‘If you were not famous, there would never have been a case.’"

He added, "I chose to remain silent for years. I believed that staying dignified, being patient, and trusting the justice system would allow the right decisions to be made." Hakimi stated that the case has been detrimental not only to him but also to his family, "and above all, to the truth." "I have been waiting for this trial since the first day. And I am now waiting for it impatiently," he added. "Finally, I will be able to speak."

A date for the trial has not yet been announced.

"The multitude of exculpatory elements uncovered during the investigation and judicial inquiry would, in any other case, have led to the dismissal of the proceedings," said Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin. "Achraf Hakimi’s defense regrets that no consequences were drawn from the contradictions and false statements made by the complainant, her concealment of information from the judicial authorities, her obstruction of the search for the truth, and the psychological assessments noting both her ambivalence and her lack of clarity regarding the events she reported."