French Judges Order Morocco Star Achraf Hakimi to Face Rape Trial

By Samuel Akpan

A French Appeal Court has ruled that Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi must face trial over allegations that he raped a woman in 2023, a charge the Paris Saint-Germain defender has strongly denied.

The Versailles Court of Appeal on Friday upheld a previous decision, clearing the way for the case to proceed to the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

A date for the trial has not yet been set.

Hakimi, who is preparing for Morocco’s second match of the 2026 World Cup against Scotland later on Friday, took to social media shortly after the ruling.

“I have been waiting for this trial since day one,” he wrote on X. “At last, I’ll be able to speak.”

The 24-year-old woman first reported the alleged incident to police in February 2023.

She told investigators that she met Hakimi on Instagram in January that year and later went to his home in a taxi arranged by the player.

She alleged that Hakimi kissed her, touched her without consent, and then raped her.

According to her account, she managed to push him away before texting a friend, who came to pick her up.

Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, said the appeals court decision was not unexpected.

“This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” she told reporters.

The woman’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said the ruling had given her client “relief and hope” as she prepares to have her day in court.

Speaking publicly for the first time in an interview with Mediapart published on Thursday, the woman, who used the pseudonym Jeanne, said she wanted the case to go to trial.

“I want a trial to defend myself, to be heard,” she stated.

Hakimi has maintained his innocence since the allegations first surfaced and has continued to play at the highest level for both club and country while the legal process unfolded.

The case has drawn significant attention in France and across the football world, coming at a time when Hakimi is representing Morocco at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.