Morrocan Football World Cup star Achraf Hakimi charged with rape

Achraf Hakimi of Morocco in action during the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Photo / Getty

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been handed preliminary charges of rape, French prosecutors said on Saturday.

The prosecutors office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre said Hakimi was questioned on Friday by investigators probing rape allegations. He was then indicted by an investigating judge and placed under judicial supervision.

Under French law, preliminary charges mean there is reason to suspect a crime has been committed but it allows magistrates more time to investigate before deciding whether to send the case to trial.

Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, said the player “strongly denied accusations made against him,” in a written message to The Associated Press.

Colin said her client being indicted is an “obligatory step for any person being accused of rape” and will allow Hakimi to defend himself by giving him access to the case. Colin also said that some elements collected by the judicial police show, according to her, that Hakimi “in this case has been subjected to a racketeering attempt.”

The Morocco national team player has been prohibited from contacting the alleged victim, a 24-year-old woman who says she was raped by Hakimi at his home in a Paris suburb. Hakimi is allowed to leave French territory, prosecutors said.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, which revealed the allegations earlier this week, the woman went to the police station on Monday, where she accused him of rape.

The woman’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said in a statement that preliminary charges show “there is reliable and consistent evidence.”

“My client made the choice to confide in justice, and only in justice, and will speak only to justice,” she said in a statement to the AP. “We won’t tolerate any smear or destabilisation campaign (against her).”

The Spanish-born Hakimi is a defender who helped Morocco make World Cup history last year by becoming the first African team to reach the tournament’s semifinals.

Prosecutors opened their preliminary investigation on Tuesday.

Hakimi returned to training with PSG on Saturday after a minor hamstring issue, and he could be in the team’s squad to play Bayern Munich on Thursday in the Champions League.

At a news conference on Saturday, PSG coach Christophe Galtier said he would “answer no questions of a non-sporting nature (relating to) Achraf Hakimi.”

Galtier said he hoped Hakimi could train with the rest of the team “to be available” to play against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the round of 16.

“The players were hard-working and serious,” Galtier said when asked what the mood was like at training given the case.

Hakimi appeared on stage at the Fida Awards in Paris on Tuesday. He was honoured as part of the player-voted men’s all-star team and was greeted by brief, loud applause when introduced.