Ex-PSG teammate before judge over attack on Hamraoui

VERSAILLES: A former Paris Saint-Germain player appeared before a judge Friday (Sep 16) facing possible charges over a brutal assault on her teammate Kheira Hamraoui last November that rocked women's football in France, prosecutors said.

Aminata Diallo, 27, was arrested for the second time earlier Friday in the investigation into the attack against Hamraoui outside Paris, which investigators initially suggested could have been motivated by a sporting rivalry.

The re-arrest of Diallo came after four men were also detained this week in connection with the attack on Hamraoui, two of whom were later charged with aggravated violence.

A judicial source told AFP the two men had implicated Diallo in the attack under questioning, though Diallo has denied any involvement.

Diallo was driving Hamraoui, a star PSG midfielder, home from a club dinner on November 4, 2021, when they were allegedly forced to stop by two masked men.

Hamraoui was then dragged out and beaten on the legs with an iron bar, resulting in injuries that required stitches in hospital.

"It was an ambush. These people were waiting for me behind a truck. They were at the right place at the right time. How could they have been so well informed?" she told French daily L'Equipe in June.

According to media reports, Hamraoui also told police she suspected Diallo might be involved because of the unusual route she took home, and the slow speed of their vehicle when the two attackers sprang out to stop the car.

Hamraoui's lawyer declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Friday.

Since the attack, Hamraoui's defence team has said she has been the target of harassment campaigns fomented by fellow teammates over the suspicions against Diallo, which have impacted team morale and PSG's