Paris St Germain defender Achraf Hakimi to face trial for rape

PARIS (Agencies): Moroccan soccer player Achraf Hakimi is to face a rape trial, the defender, who plays for Paris St Germain and the Moroccan national squad, said in a social media post on Tuesday. He denies the allegation.  “Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial, even though I deny it and everything proves it’s false,” Hakimi said in a post on X.  “This is as unjust to the innocent as it is to the genuine victims. I calmly await this trial, which will allow the truth to come out publicly,” he said. Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin said a trial had been ordered and the prosecutor in the Nanterre suburb of Paris confirmed.  “A trial has been ordered on the basis of an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests, refused to allow her mobile phone to be examined, and refused to give the name of a key witness,” Colin said. PSG coach Luis Enrique when asked about it at Tuesday’s press conference, ahead of the Champions League play-off second leg match with Monaco, said: “This matter is in the hands of the authorities.”

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client was relieved to hear the case was going to court. She said the judiciary had been exemplary in handling the case. But its treatment in general showed “there are still areas where the #MeToo movement has not yet breached the sound barrier, chiefly in men’s football,” she added. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation in 2023 after an allegation of rape was made against him. The prosecutor confirmed on Tuesday that Hakimi’s case had been sent to trial. Paris St Germain will face Monaco in Wednesday’s return leg of their Champions League knockout round playoff tie. Hakimi was in the initial squad list published last Tuesday.