Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
The decision, issued by a court in Versailles, France, marks the latest development in a legal case that has followed the Paris Saint-Germain defender since 2023.
Hakimi, 27, has consistently denied the allegation and says he is determined to clear his name in court.
The case stems from a complaint made by a 24-year-old woman, who accused the footballer of raping her in February 2023. Hakimi was formally charged the following month and placed under judicial supervision.
French investigators have spent more than two years examining the evidence before the appeals court concluded there were sufficient grounds for a trial.
No trial date has been announced yet.
Responding to the ruling, Hakimi said he welcomed the opportunity to finally tell his side of the story.
“Justice looked me in the eyes and said to me: ‘If you weren't famous, there never would have been a case,’” he wrote on social media.
Hakimi said he had deliberately remained silent throughout much of the legal process because he believed the justice system would reach the right conclusion.
“I've been waiting for this trial since day one. And now I'm looking forward to it. Finally, I will be able to speak,” he said.
Hakimi also spoke of the impact the case has had on his personal life, saying a narrative that was not his own had been built “at the expense of my family, my life, and above all, the truth”.
The lawyer representing the woman who made the complaint said the court's decision reflected the evidence gathered during the investigation.
“The investigating chamber has ruled that there is sufficient evidence against Achraf Hakimi for committing rape,” lawyer Rachel-Flore Pardo said.
She described the ruling as consistent with the findings of prosecutors and investigating magistrates who worked on the case.
Pardo also expressed hope that the trial would encourage other people affected by sexual violence to come forward and challenge what she called a culture of denial and impunity.
The legal proceedings continue as Hakimi remains a key figure for Morocco at the 2026 World Cup. He has played every minute of his country’s opening two matches, including Friday’s 1-0 victory over Scotland.
Morocco will conclude their Group C campaign against Haiti next week as the case awaits further legal steps.
Investigators found a sticky note bearing the names and mobile phone numbers of four left-wing public figures while searching the home of the suspe...
The United States and China should have “no illusions” about their differences on artificial intell...
Pope Leo arrived in Peru on Wednesday for an emotional homecoming, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catho...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
Armenia could lose its voting rights within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on 11 November after failing to pay membership fees for more than two years, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Investigators found a sticky note bearing the names and mobile phone numbers of four left-wing public figures while searching the home of the suspect in last month’s deadly shooting near Paris, France’s national anti-terrorism prosecution office (PNAT) said on Wednesday.
The United States and China should have “no illusions” about their differences on artificial intelligence, even as they work together to manage the technology’s risks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Pope Leo arrived in Peru on Wednesday for an emotional homecoming, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church, after wrapping up a visit to Argentina that drew a record six million people over three days.
Iran will not let a single particle of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, and any new U.S. attack would be met with strikes on distant American bases, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment