A French appeals court has confirmed that Moroccan international footballer Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape, according to Antigua News Room. The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain defender, who also captains the Moroccan national team, has consistently denied the allegations and welcomed the ruling as an opportunity to clear his name.
In a post on X, Hakimi said he was "eagerly awaiting" the trial, stating it would finally allow him "to speak."
The case dates to February 2023, when a woman then aged 24 reported to police in the Val-de-Marne region, southeast of Paris, that Hakimi had raped her. According to a police source at the time, the woman said she met Hakimi in January 2023 on Instagram and traveled to his home in a taxi he arranged. She alleged that he kissed her, touched her without her consent, and then raped her. She said she managed to push him away and contacted a friend, who came to collect her.
Speaking publicly for the first time in an article published Thursday by Mediapart, the woman, using the pseudonym Jeanne, said she wanted the trial "to defend myself, to be heard." She added: "I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me."
No date has yet been set for the trial, which will be heard at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
Hakimi's lawyer, Fanny Colin, sought to temper the significance of the court's decision. "This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence," Colin said.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, offered a contrasting perspective, saying the ruling brought her client "relief and hope."
Hakimi, whose national team was playing their second World Cup match against Scotland on Friday, has maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
