Achraf Hakimi, Moroccan footballer from Paris Saint-Germain, currently in the United States playing World Cup, will stand trial for rape in France. The Court of Appeal of Versailles rejected Hakimi's appeal against the indictment announced in February and confirmed he will be tried before the departmental criminal court of Hauts-de-Seine.
Hakimi was accused of raping a 24-year-old woman in February 2023 she had met on Instagram. The victims alleges that she was subjected to non-consensual touching at Hakimi's home, and then he raped her. She said she pushed him away and texted a friend who picked her up.
Immediately after the trial was confirmed, Hakimi used social media to say he "has been waiting for this trial since day one and is now looking forward to it", claiming he will only stand trial because he is famous and he has become an easy target.
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In August 2025, Nanterre's prosecution requested that the player should go to trial, facing up to 15 years in prison. Hakimi denied all accusations in a TV show on Canal+ last September, denouncing that he has been victim of blackmail.
Fanny Colin, Hakimi's lawyer, lamented that the court did not take into account "the plaintiff's contradictions and lies, his concealment from the judicial authorities, his obstruction of the truth, and even his psychological evaluations that confirmed his ambivalence and lack of clarity regarding the facts" (via Marca), while plaintiff's lawyer Rachel-Flore Pardo said this "will help other women and contribute to breaking down the stronghold of denial and impunity that surrounds sexual violence, including in the world of men's football".
Hakimi's trial will take place in the coming months, and in the meantime he continues to play for Moroccan national team and Paris Saint-Germain.