Hakimi Faces Hearing as Rape Case Moves Toward Trial

Achraf Hakimi steps into a very different kind of arena on Thursday, far from the floodlights of the Champions League and the noise of World Cup stadiums.

In Versailles, west of Paris, an appeals court will examine the case of the 27-year-old Morocco international, who is set to stand trial on a charge of raping a woman. The hearing will determine whether that charge stands as is or is reduced to a lesser offence.

If the appeal is rejected and the charge is not downgraded, the Paris Saint-Germain defender will face a full criminal trial on a date yet to be fixed.

Allegations Dating Back to Early 2023

The case stems from a complaint filed in February 2023. A woman, then 24, went to police in the Val-de-Marne area, southeast of Paris, and accused Hakimi of raping her.

Following her complaint, Hakimi was formally charged and placed under judicial supervision. In February this year, investigating judges decided the case should be sent to trial, pushing it into a more serious phase of the French judicial process.

Hakimi has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

According to a police source at the time, the plaintiff said she met the player in January 2023 through Instagram. She told investigators she went to his home in a taxi ordered by Hakimi. Once there, she claimed, he kissed her and touched her without her consent before raping her.

She told police she managed to push him away and send a text message to a friend, who then came to pick her up.

Legal Battle Lines

Contacted by AFP, Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, declined to comment ahead of the hearing. Her stance in court, though, has already been sharply drawn.

During the referral hearing that led to the decision to send the case to trial, Colin argued that “the accusation rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests (and) refused to give the name of key witnesses”.

Those arguments will hang heavily over the appeals court’s deliberations. The judges must decide whether the evidence and the legal characterisation of the alleged facts justify maintaining the rape charge or reclassifying it as a lesser offence.

Star Defender Under Harsh Spotlight

Hakimi’s legal ordeal runs parallel to a career that remains at the very top of the game.

The right-back joined PSG in 2021 from Inter Milan, after earlier spells with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. On the pitch, he has become one of the most influential full-backs in world football, a constant outlet on the flank and a key piece in the Parisian club’s ambitions.

His stature grew even further at the 2022 World Cup, where he played a pivotal role in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals. The Atlas Lions became the first African and Arab team to reach the last four, with Hakimi at the heart of that achievement.

Despite the court case hanging over him, he is expected to be in the PSG side when the defending champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 in Budapest.

On the international stage, he is certain to be part of the Morocco squad that opens its World Cup campaign against Brazil on June 13 in New Jersey. That Group C also includes Scotland and Haiti, setting up a demanding path for a team that has already redrawn the limits of African football once.

Career Peaks, Legal Uncertainty

So Hakimi’s calendar shows a Champions League final and a World Cup opener. The court’s calendar now matters just as much.

The Versailles appeals court’s decision will shape the contours of the trial to come: the exact charge, the legal stakes, and the potential penalties if he is found guilty.

For now, the facts are stark. A serious allegation. A player who denies it. A justice system moving step by measured step.

The next whistle does not blow in a stadium, but in a courtroom.