Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after a French appeals court upheld a referral order on Friday, closing the door on any further attempt to avoid prosecution.
The case dates to February 2023, when a 24-year-old woman reported to police in Val-de-Marne, southeast of Paris, that Hakimi had raped her at his home.
According to a police source, the woman said she contacted the PSG captain on Instagram, travelled to his residence in a taxi he arranged, and was subsequently kissed, touched without consent, and then raped. She told police she pushed him away, messaged a friend, and left.
Hakimi, who also captains the Moroccan national team, has denied the allegations from the outset. Reacting to Friday’s ruling on X, he welcomed the development: “I have been waiting for this trial since day one. At last, I’ll be able to speak.”
His lawyer, Fanny Colin, reinforced that position. The ruling, she said, changes nothing about his innocence, adding that he remains firm in his defence.
The timing adds an uncomfortable backdrop to Morocco’s 2026 World Cup campaign. Their second group stage match, against Scotland, kicked off the same day the ruling was handed down.
For the woman at the centre of the case, the court’s decision marks a long-awaited turning point. Speaking publicly for the first time in a Mediapart interview published Thursday, she said she had been waiting three years for this moment. Using the pseudonym Jeanne, she said she wanted the chance to speak, to be heard, and to be believed.
Her lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, described the ruling as bringing her client both relief and hope.
A trial date has not yet been set. The case will be heard at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
