The prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre claimed that the Morocco international, Hakimi, was questioned on Thursday (March 2) by investigators probing rape allegations.
Achraf Hakimi indicted
He was then indicted by an investigating judge and placed under judicial supervision.
Hakimi is prohibited from contacting the alleged victim, a 24-year-old woman who says she was raped by Hakimi on Saturday (February 25) at his home in a Paris suburb.
Hakimi created history for Morocco football
Hakimi is allowed to leave French territory, prosecutors said. The Spanish-born Hakimi is a defender who helped Morocco make World Cup history last year by becoming the first African team to reach the tournament’s semifinals. He was seen training with PSG on Friday.
Prosecutors opened their preliminary investigation on Monday. PSG officials have not commented and the 24-year-old former Inter, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid player has not publicly responded to the accusation.
The player’s lawyer has not responded to requests for comment. Hakimi appeared on stage at the FIFA Awards in Paris on Monday (March 27).
PSG backs Hakimi
PSG issued a statement to French media after the initial complaint was filed against the footballer. The club’s statement was supportive of Hakimi, stating he had “firmly denied the accusations and trusts justice”.
The club added in that statement: “PSG is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.”
L’Equipe quoted Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, as saying Hakimi “firmly denied the accusations made against him” when he spoke to police on Thursday.
She added in a statement to the newspaper: “In my opinion, it follows from the documents which are in the hands of the judicial police that Mr Hakimi has, in this case, been the subject of an attempted racketeering.”
When asked by the media on Friday, PSG head coach Christophe Galtier said that he would not answer any non-football questions about Hakimi.
Asked for an update on the player’s injury, Galtier said he hoped Hakimi would be fit to face Bayern.
Hakimi – who moved to PSG in July 2021 when he left Inter for a reported initial fee of €60million – was honoured as part of the player-voted men’s all-star team and was greeted by brief, loud applause when introduced.
(With inputs from agencies)