Rabat – Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi is set to go on trial in France over rape allegations, according to French media reports on Tuesday.
In a post shared on X today, the Atlas Lion denied the accusation and said he remains confident that the truth will come out.
“Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial even though I contest it and everything shows that it is false. It is just as unfair to the innocent as it is to genuine victims,” Hakimi wrote.
He said he is “calmly” awaiting the trial, adding that it will “allow the truth to come out publicly.”
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office opened an investigation in 2023 after a woman accused Hakimi of rape. French prosecutors later requested that the case be sent to a criminal court. If convicted, Hakimi could face up to 15 years in prison.
The case dates back to February 2023, when a 24-year-old woman accused Hakimi of forcing her into a non-consensual sexual act at his home near Paris. The alleged incident reportedly took place on February 25, 2023.
According to the woman’s account, she met the footballer through Instagram and was driven to his house in a car he arranged. She claims he kissed and touched her even after she said no. She said she managed to push him away and later called a friend to pick her up.
Hakimi has strongly denied the allegations since the start of the investigation.
His lawyer, Fanny Colin, said there is “strong evidence” that clears him of any wrongdoing. “We will fight until the end to make sure the truth comes out and that it is clearly said and understood that Achraf Hakimi did not do or say anything wrong,” she told RMC Sport.
Colin described the accusations as based on what she called an “incoherent” version of events. She argued that there were no signs of trauma usually seen in similar cases. “In 99.9% of sexual assault cases, there is at least some sign of trauma, whether it’s nightmares, weight changes, or anything else. Here, there is nothing,” she said, adding that she remains calm even if the case goes to trial.
The woman’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client was relieved to hear the case was going to court. Pardo lauded the judiciary’s handling of the case but said the treatment of her client in general showed “there are still areas where the #MeToo movement has not yet breached the sound barrier, chiefly in men’s football.”
French football star Kylian Mbappé, who played alongside Hakimi at PSG, also gave a statement to police defending his former teammate and said he had “never seen him behave inappropriately” toward women. He said Hakimi is respectful and that he had never heard any complaints about him crossing the line.
Mbappé described Hakimi as emotionally shaken when he learned about the investigation, saying he cried and appeared deeply affected. He suggested the possibility that the case could be a setup, referring to reported messages from the woman that mentioned money. In one alleged message, she wrote, “We’re going to rob him!” She later said it was a joke meant to relieve stress.
Many observers argued that the case has resurfaced at a sensitive time for Hakimi, as he continues to perform strongly on the field and after being a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or.
