Morocco, PSG star Achraf Hakimi formally charged with rape

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been formally charged with rape by French prosecutors following a complaint made by a 24-year-old woman to the police on February 26.

Hakimi, who denied the accusations, was indicted on March 4, five days after the complaint was made.

PSG issued a statement in support of Hakimi, saying that he “firmly denied the accusations and trusts justice” and that the club promotes respect both on and off the pitch.

The club added that they would not comment further on the matter.

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Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, said in a statement to French newspaper L’Equipe that her client “firmly denied the accusations made against him” and that he had been the subject of attempted racketeering.

Despite the charges, Hakimi has not been detained in custody by the police and trained with his club on Friday, although he was ruled out of the Nantes game due to a hamstring injury.

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PSG head coach Christophe Galtier said he would not answer any non-football questions about Hakimi and that he hoped Hakimi would be fit to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Hakimi, who was a key player for Inter Milan before joining PSG in July 2021 for an initial fee of €60million, was named in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World 11 at FIFA’s The Best awards ceremony in Paris on Monday. He is also a major figure in Morocco’s national team, which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup at the end of last year.

The charges against Hakimi come at a critical time for PSG, who are currently leading Ligue 1 and preparing for the second leg of their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.

The French champions trail 1-0 after the first leg. PSG issued a statement saying that they would continue to monitor the situation and cooperate with the authorities.