Achraf Hakimi has run out of legal options. France’s Court of Cassation, the country’s top judicial body, threw out his last appeal on Wednesday, per The Athletic. The PSG full-back, who captains Morocco, must now answer a rape charge before a criminal court in Hauts-de-Seine, likely in 2027.
The charge stems from an alleged incident at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt on February 25, 2023. The complainant, an unnamed woman, says she went there after having had a series of chats with him on Instagram. According to WION, she claims the player kissed, touched and then had his way with her, all without her consent. He was charged five days later and has denied wrongdoing throughout.
Both sides stress that the top court did not judge the allegations, only whether the case could proceed. The accuser’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, says her client will “fight to the very end.” Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, says her client “has nothing to hide” and that his evidence will be presented publicly at trial.The timing is awkward for a player on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, and he missed PSG’s win over Marseille with a thigh injury.
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