Achraf Hakimi Faces Crucial Court Decision on Rape Charge

Achraf Hakimi faces a crucial day in court on Tuesday, one that could shape not only his career but his public life far beyond the pitch.

In Versailles, west of Paris, an appeals court will examine whether the 27-year-old Morocco international must stand trial on a charge of rape, or whether the case can be reclassified as a lesser offence. If the appeal fails and the charge stands, a full criminal trial will follow on a date yet to be set.

The case dates back to February 2023. A woman, then 24, went to police in Val-de-Marne, southeast of Paris, and accused Hakimi of raping her. Investigators opened a formal inquiry, and the defender was subsequently charged and placed under judicial supervision. In February this year, judges ruled that the case should be sent to trial.

Hakimi denies any wrongdoing.

Contacted by AFP, his lawyer, Fanny Colin, declined to comment ahead of the appeals hearing. During an earlier referral hearing, Colin attacked the foundations of the case, arguing 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”.

According to a police source at the time, the complainant said she first came into contact with Hakimi via Instagram in January 2023. She told investigators she later travelled to his home in a taxi ordered by the player. Once there, she claimed, Hakimi kissed her and touched her without consent before raping her. She told police she managed to push him away and text a friend, who came to collect her.

The legal battle now runs alongside a high-profile sporting calendar.

Hakimi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 from Inter Milan after earlier spells at Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, remains a central figure for both club and country. He played a defining role in Morocco’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, when the Atlas Lions became the first African and Arab side to reach the last four.

He is expected to line up for PSG when the defending champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 in Budapest, a showcase occasion that will throw the spotlight back on one of the world’s leading full-backs.

On the international stage, Hakimi is certain to be part of Morocco’s squad when they open their World Cup campaign against Brazil on June 13 in New Jersey. They sit in Group C, alongside Scotland and Haiti, in a section that already promised drama before the courtroom entered the story.

What happens in Versailles now will not decide trophies or titles. It will decide whether one of football’s most recognisable defenders walks into a World Cup and a Champions League final with a trial looming over every step.