Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 19, 2026 07:30 PM IST
Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after a woman accused him of raping the Paris Saint-Germain footballer in 2023, French prosecutors said.
Hakimi, who made his appearance against Scotland on Friday, has denied the allegations.
“The justice system looked me in the eye and said, ‘If you weren’t famous, this case would never have happened,'” Hakimi wrote on social media on Friday.
“I chose to remain silent for years. I believe that maintaining my dignity, staying calm and trusting the justice system will lead to the right decisions.
“Today, a story that is not mine is being told at the expense of my family, my life and most importantly the truth. I sometimes feel that I have become an easy target.
“I’ve been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I’m looking forward to it. Finally, I can talk.”
Rachel-Flore Pardo, prosecuting, said: “Relieved that the justice system has heard her and she will have a right to a trial.
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“Hopefully this trial will help other women and further weaken the wall of denial and impunity that surrounds sexual violence, including in the world of men’s football.”
It was not immediately clear when the trial would begin. The Versailles Appeal Court, Hakimi’s lawyer, PSG and the Moroccan National Football Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It was also not immediately clear whether Hakimi would pitch in Boston later Friday.
The Nanterre Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation in 2023 after Hakimi was accused of rape. French newspaper Le Parisien reported at the time that the then 24-year-old woman said she had been raped.
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“Many incriminating factors uncovered during the investigation and judicial inquiry would, in any other case, have led to the dismissal of the proceedings,” Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Collin, told the AP.
“The defense of Akraf Hakimi regrets that the psychological evaluation which took into account both the contradictions and false statements made by the complainant, her concealment of information from the judicial authorities, the obstruction of truth-seeking and her ambivalence and her lack of clarity about the events she reported did not yield any results.”