Achraf Hakimi Ordered to Stand Trial for Rape

Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain defender and captain of Morocco’s national team, has been ordered to stand trial for rape by a French court, a decision that keeps one of football’s highest-profile legal cases firmly in the spotlight.

The ruling, confirmed on Friday, does not set a trial date but clears the way for proceedings to begin at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department, just outside Paris.

Hakimi, 27, has denied the allegations from the outset. In a post on X, he said he was “eagerly awaiting” the trial, insisting it would finally allow him “to speak” and present his version of events in full.

The case dates back to February 2023, when a woman, then 24, told police in the Val-de-Marne region, southeast of Paris, that Hakimi had raped her. According to a police source at the time, she said she had met the player in January 2023 on Instagram. She later went to his home in a taxi ordered by Hakimi.

Once there, she claimed, the evening turned into an ordeal. She accused Hakimi of kissing her, touching her without her consent and then raping her. She told investigators she managed to push him away and send a text message to a friend, who came to pick her up.

Hakimi has consistently rejected the accusations. His legal team maintains that the decision to send the case to trial changes nothing about his status or his stance.

“This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” his lawyer, Fanny Colin, said after the ruling.

On the other side, the court’s decision marked a significant moment for the complainant. Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, called it a step that brought her client “relief and hope”.

Until this week, the woman had remained silent in public. Speaking to the press for the first time in an article published by Mediapart on Thursday, and using the pseudonym “Jeanne”, she explained why she wanted the case to be heard in court.

She said she was seeking a trial “to defend myself, to be heard”. “I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me,” she added.

The legal battle now runs parallel to Hakimi’s career at the highest level of the game. While he continues to play for PSG and leads Morocco, whose side are contesting their second World Cup match on Friday against Scotland, the next whistle he waits for is the one that will signal the start of a trial that could define far more than his season.