Paris Saint-Germain Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi, considered one of the best right-backs in the world, was charged Thursday in France with rape following accusations by a 24-year-old young woman.
This woman accuses the footballer, also 24 years old, of having raped her last Saturday at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt, in the western suburbs of Paris.
The player was heard Thursday by investigators, then charged (indicted) by an investigating judge and placed under judicial supervision, said the Nanterre prosecution, contacted by AFP.
On Friday morning, he was present at PSG training. He appeared very smiling when he entered the field, noted an AFP journalist. The club declined to immediately comment on the announcement.
His judicial control prohibits him from coming into contact with the young woman, said the prosecution. He is, however, authorized to leave French territory.
Contacted by AFP, the player’s lawyer, Me Fanny Colin, might not be reached immediately. On Tuesday, she assured the daily Le Parisien that the accusations were “false” and that Mr. Hakimi, “serene”, stood “at the disposal of justice”.
For her part, the young woman was heard by investigators on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said.
“We take note of the indictment,” reacted to AFP his lawyer, Me Rachel-Flore Pardo. “My client stands by all of her statements. She has chosen to speak exclusively to the justice system and does not wish to publicize the case, in particular to preserve her safety, ”she continued.
Dating on Instagram
The young woman went to a police station in the Paris region on Sunday, where she said she had been raped, without filing a complaint.
According to a police source, she said she met Achraf Hakimi in January on the social network Instagram and went to his house on Saturday in a VTC (transport car with driver) ordered by the player.
According to a source familiar with the matter, she arrived on Saturday around 1 a.m. and stayed there for regarding an hour.
She claims that Achraf Hakimi kissed her and touched her without her consent, before raping her, the police source added. Managing to push him away, she says that a friend, contacted by text, came to pick her up.
Achraf Hakimi arrived at PSG in 2021 from Inter Milan. He was part of the standard team of the year 2022 designated by the International Federation (Fifa) and revealed on Monday in Paris.
The player took part in the gala evening organized by Fifa on Monday, a few hours following the revelation of the opening of the investigation targeting him.
Injured in the hamstrings, he had not participated in the Ligue 1 clash on Sunday between Marseille and PSG (0-3).
The son of a housekeeper and a traveling salesman, both Moroccans and living in Spain since the 1980s, the player was born in Getafe, in the southern suburbs of Madrid, in the Las Margaritas district.
Perfect Spanish speaker, married to the Spanish actress Hiba Abouk, he started football at Ofigevi, then joined the Real Madrid training center, where he did all his classes. He then shone at Dortmund and Inter Milan, before joining PSG.
A very close friend of Kylian Mbappé, the two men have repeatedly staged their friendship on social networks.
Another famous footballer, the Brazilian Dani Alves, former player of FC Barcelona, PSG and Juventus Turin, is accused of rape by a young woman in Spain. He has been imprisoned there since January 20 near Barcelona.
Also accused of rape, French international Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six rapes and a sexual assault by British justice in early January. However, he will be retried on two charges.
