PSG defender Achraf Hakimi to face trial over rape allegations

JAKARTA - Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been ordered to stand trial in a rape case.

The charge dates back to February 2023 and was filed by a 24-year-old woman who accused Hakimi of attacking her at his home, southeast of Paris.

"Right now, the charge of rape is enough to justify the trial. This is as unfair for the innocent as it is for the actual victims."

"I calmly await this trial, which will allow the truth to be revealed publicly," the Moroccan wrote on X on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Hakimi's lawyer, Fanny Colin, and prosecutors in the Paris suburb of Nanterre have confirmed to French media that a trial has been ordered.

Rachel-Flore Pardo, who represents the plaintiffs, told the Associated Press that her clients welcomed the ruling that brought the case to court. He added that it was entirely consistent with the evidence in the file.

Hakimi was charged with preliminary rape in March 2023. In the French legal system, a preliminary charge means that the judge has strong reasons to suspect that a crime has occurred, but gives time for further investigation before deciding whether to send the case to court or not.

"The trial has been ordered on charges that are based solely on the statements of a woman who has obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests, refused access to her mobile phone, and refused to provide the names of key witnesses," Colin said.

Colin argued that two consecutive psychological assessments of the plaintiff revealed a lack of clarity regarding the facts he claimed, as well as the absence of post-traumatic symptoms.

In his statement, Pardo said that the justice system had set an example in this case, the wider handling of this case serves as a reminder of one thing, namely that there are still environments where the Me Too movement has not penetrated the limits, especially the world of professional men's football.

PSG manager Luis Enrique was asked in a press conference on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, local time, ahead of the match against Monaco whether Hakimi's case changed anything for the team or not and whether he remained vice-captain or not.

"This is in the hands of the judicial system," Luis Enrique said briefly.