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, setting the stage for a high-profile criminal case involving one of African football’s biggest stars.

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, on the western edge of 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.

His legal team struck a similar tone. “This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” said his lawyer, Fanny Colin, after the decision was made public.

The case dates back to February 2023. 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 on Instagram in January 2023. She later went to his home in a taxi that she said was ordered by Hakimi.

Once there, she alleged, the PSG full-back kissed her, touched her without consent and then raped her. She told investigators she managed to push him away and send a text message to a friend, who came to collect her.

Hakimi has consistently rejected the accusations. He has continued his career with PSG and remains a central figure for Morocco, whose national team are playing their second World Cup match on Friday against Scotland, a stark backdrop to the legal storm gathering around their captain.

On the other side of the case, the woman at the centre of the complaint has now spoken publicly for the first time. Using the pseudonym “Jeanne” in an article published by Mediapart on Thursday, she explained why she wants the matter to go before a court.

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

Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, welcomed the court’s decision, saying it brought her client “relief and hope” after more than a year of legal and personal strain.

The confirmation of the trial keeps Hakimi under intense scrutiny at a time when his club and country rely heavily on his influence on the pitch. The legal process now moves out of the shadows and into a courtroom, where two sharply opposed accounts will finally collide under oath.