PSG and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi to stand trial for rape

[p]In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hakimi-achraf/MqFBkBsp/"]Hakimi[/a] had raped her.[/p][p]The 27-year-old Moroccan international, who played a pivotal role in Morocco becoming the first African and Arab side to reach the World Cup semi-finals when they made the last four in 2022, denies any wrongdoing.[/p][p][b]"Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial, even though I contest it and everything proves that it is false,"[/b] he wrote on X on Tuesday.[/p][p][b]"I await this trial calmly, which will allow the truth to come out publicly."[/b][/p][p]Hakimi's lawyer, Fanny Colin, said a trial had been ordered and the prosecutor in the Nanterre suburb of Paris confirmed it.[/p][p][b]"A trial has been ordered on the basis of an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests, refused to allow her mobile phone to be examined, and refused to give the name of a key witness," [/b]Colin said.[/p][embed guid="fad65604-9088-4b84-b220-2edd48a4ba7d" url="https://x.com/AchrafHakimi/status/2026242310422311281" social-type="twitter" /][p]The plaintiff said she met Hakimi in January 2023 on Instagram and went to his home in a taxi ordered by the player, a police source said at the time.[/p][p]She claimed that the player kissed her, touched her without her consent and then raped her.[/p][p]She said she managed to push him away and text a friend, who came to pick her up.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]PSG[/a] coach Luis Enrique, when asked about it at a Tuesday press conference ahead of the Champions League play-off second leg match with Monaco, said: "This matter is in the hands of the authorities."[/b][/p][p]Hakimi attended training, adorned by a neck warmer, and being the first choice right back would normally line up on Wednesday for the game.[/p][p]The plaintiff's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client was relieved to hear the case was going to court.[/p][p]She said the judiciary had been exemplary in handling the case.[/p][p]But its treatment in general showed [b]"there are still areas where the #MeToo movement has not yet breached the sound barrier, chiefly in men's football,"[/b] she added.[/p][image alt="Hakimi's recent seasons in numbers" id="6fcfc2ad-78ab-4314-91db-795badc582b3" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="4da2c4ad-ab4f-46ff-a881-f24e121ab260" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Hakimi, born in Spain to Moroccan parents, his mother a cleaner and father a street vendor, came through the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a] academy, making his senior debut for them in 2017.[/p][p]He played a part in their 2017/2018 Champions League campaign that ended with them lifting the trophy, although he was not in the team that beat Liverpool in the final.[/p][p]He was also one of Morocco's superstars during the Africa Cup of Nations, with the host team making it to the final, where they lost in a chaotic climax to the tournament to Senegal.[/p][p]Hakimi joined PSG in 2021, after stints with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/dortmund/nP1i5US1/"]Borussia Dortmund[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Inter Milan[/a].[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Follow PSG in Ligue 1 and the Champions League![/a][/b][/p]