Achraf Hakimi's Court Hearing: Key Developments in Rape Case

Achraf Hakimi faces a crucial day in court on Tuesday, as the Versailles appeals court, west of Paris, re-examines the rape case that hangs over one of world football’s most high-profile full-backs.

The 27-year-old Morocco international is due to stand trial on a charge of raping a woman, after an investigating judge decided in February to send the case to a criminal court. The hearing will determine whether that charge stands as is, is reduced to a lesser offence, or is adjusted in some other way. If the appeal fails and the charge is not downgraded, Hakimi will face a full trial on a date yet to be set.

The case dates back to February 2023. A woman, then 24, went to police in the Val-de-Marne area, southeast of Paris, and alleged that Hakimi had raped her. He was formally charged and placed under judicial supervision, a step that kept him under legal restrictions while the investigation unfolded.

Hakimi denies any wrongdoing.

According to a police source at the time, the woman said she met the Paris Saint-Germain defender in January 2023 via Instagram. She told investigators she later travelled alone by taxi to his home, a vehicle she said had been ordered by the player. Once there, she claimed, Hakimi kissed her and touched her without consent before raping her. She said she managed to push him away and send a text message to a friend, who came to pick her up.

During the referral hearing that led to the decision to send the case to trial, Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, launched a fierce challenge to the accusations. Colin argued that “the accusation rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests (and) refused to give the name of key witnesses”. Contacted by AFP ahead of the appeals hearing, Colin declined to comment.

The legal battle runs parallel to a career that has placed Hakimi at the heart of both club and country. A product of Real Madrid who later shone at Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, he joined PSG in 2021 and quickly became a cornerstone of the French champions’ project.

On the pitch, his trajectory has barely dipped. Hakimi played a pivotal role in Morocco’s historic run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, as the Atlas Lions became the first African and Arab side ever to reach the last four of the tournament. His status as a national icon remains intact in sporting terms, even as the court case gathers pace.

He is expected to be in the PSG side when the defending champions face Arsenal in the Champions League final on May 30 in Budapest, a showcase that would place him under the brightest of spotlights while the legal process continues in the background.

Internationally, his importance to Morocco is unquestioned. He is certain to be part of the squad when they open their World Cup campaign against Brazil on June 13 in New Jersey in Group C, which also includes Scotland and Haiti.

For now, though, the focus is on Versailles, where judges will decide how this case proceeds and, by extension, what kind of shadow it will cast over one of the defining seasons of Hakimi’s career.