Achraf Hakimi to stand trial in rape case, French court confirms - ESPN

A French appeals court confirmed Friday that Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco star player Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case.

The defender, who is currently playing with Morocco at the World Cup after winning the Champions League for a second straight year with PSG, had appealed a February decision by an investigative judge. That ruling followed recommendations from public prosecutors that Hakimi should face trial.

The decision was released just hours before Morocco take on Scotland in their Group C match. Morocco drew 1-1 with Brazil in their opening game.

Hakimi, one of the best right backs in the world, denies any wrongdoing. He faced preliminary charges of rape in March 2023 after a 24-year-old woman said she was raped by Hakimi at his home in a Paris suburb.

The Versailles appeals court said in a media statement that it ordered that Hakimi be formally charged with rape. The court said that the investigations conducted during the inquiry and the judicial investigation led the investigating chamber to conclude that there is sufficient evidence against the player to stand trial.

Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, said that after more than three years of legal proceedings, «and after being defamed and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi's defense,» the court's decision «brings my client a sense of relief and hope.»

«Relief that she has been heard by the justice system and will have her case heard at trial,» Pardo said in a statement to The Associate Press. «Hope that this trial will help other women and further weaken the fortress of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including within the world of men's football.»

Hakimi claimed in a message posted on X on Friday that