Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi charged with rape case

• Achraf Hakimi has been accused with rape.
• French prosecutors informed AFP on Friday.
• He played a significant role in Morocco’s historic journey.

Achraf Hakimi, a defender for Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco, has been accused with rape, French prosecutors informed AFP on Friday.

Prosecutors questioned Hakimi, 24, regarding allegations made by a 24-year-old woman on Thursday, and then charged him.

The midfielder, who was born in Madrid and played a significant role in Morocco’s historic journey to the World Cup semifinals in Qatar last year, practised with his PSG teammates on Friday morning.

When contacted by AFP, the club declined to comment on the accusation.

As his wife and kids were away on vacation, Hakimi allegedly paid for his accuser to travel to his house in the Paris district of Boulogne-Billancourt last Saturday.

According to people familiar with the case, the woman visited a police station on Sunday and was questioned by prosecutors on Wednesday.

Hakimi attended the FIFA Best awards presentation on Monday in Paris, where he was recognised as a member of the FIFPro Men’s World Team of the Year.

But, on Tuesday, she had stated that the allegations against Hakimi were “false.” It was not possible to quickly reach the player’s attorney, Fanny Colin.

Rachel Flore Pardo, the lawyer for the alleged victim, told AFP: “My client maintains everything that she said. She made the choice to speak exclusively to prosecutors and does not want the affair to become a media issue, mainly to protect her safety.”

According to French law, a charge does not always result in a trial.

PSG, the defending Ligue 1 champions, are in first place and will play Nantes on Saturday before travelling to Germany on Wednesday to play Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16.

1-0 is the first-leg deficit for the French team.

Although it wasn’t immediately obvious if Hakimi will participate in either game, he is still allowed to depart French territory.

Before joining the Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund in 2018, Hakimi went through Real Madrid’s youth programme. He later appeared in 73 games for the German team.

He first relocated to Inter Milan in 2020 before making his way to PSG in 2021, where he has since been an essential member of the squad and formed a close bond with young attacker Kylian Mbappe.

He was a pillar of the Moroccan team in Qatar, which helped them become the first Arab country to get to the World Cup’s last four.

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