French court confirms trial for PSG star Hakimi in rape case

A French appeals court on Friday upheld a decision that will see Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi stand trial over an alleged rape case dating back to 2023.

The case stems from a complaint filed in February 2023 by a 24-year-old woman, who told police in the Val-de-Marne area, southeast of Paris, that the Paris Saint-Germain defender raped her.

Hakimi, who plays as a right-back for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Moroccan national team, has repeatedly denied the allegation and maintained that he did nothing wrong.

The court’s decision means the legal proceedings against the footballer will move forward, despite his continued insistence on his innocence.

The development comes as Morocco prepares for its second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Scotland national football team on Friday.

Shortly after the Versailles Court of Appeal delivered its ruling, Hakimi wrote on X that he had been “waiting for this trial since day one.”

“At last, I’ll be able to speak,” he said.

A date has not been announced for the start of the trial at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

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

The plaintiff’s lawyer Rachel-Flore Pardo said the decision brought her client “relief and hope”.

The plaintiff said she met Hakimi in January 2023 on Instagram and went to his home in a taxi ordered by the player, a police source said at the time.

She claimed that the player kissed her, touched her without her consent and then raped her.

She said she managed to push him away and text a friend, who came to pick her up.

Speaking to the press for the first time in a Mediapart article published Thursday, the woman, using the pseudonym Jeanne, said she wanted a trial “to defend myself, to be heard”.

“I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me,” she added.

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