03 March 2023 , 10:57
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Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been indicted on rape charges, French prosecutors said on Friday.
A 24-year-old woman has accused Hakimi, also 24, of raping her at his home in Paris on Saturday, February 25. The Morocco international's lawyer Fanny Colin has previously insisted the allegation is "false". In a statement released at the beginning of March, Hakimi's representative also confirmed the footballer was "making himself available to the authorities" for the investigation.
Prosecutors have now confirmed to AFP that he has been formally charged. Under French law, the indictment means there is reason to suspect a crime has been committed but it allows more time to investigate before deciding whether to send the case to trial.
Initial reports in France claimed Hakimi was only made aware of the investigation around 90 minutes before Monday evening's FIFA The Best award ceremony. The right-back was named in the FIFPro Men's World11 for his achievements on the pitch.
Achraf Hakimi was made aware of the investigation ahead of Monday's FIFA The Best awards (Lionel Hahn/Getty Images)As per Le Parisien, the alleged victim reported the incident at a police station on Sunday evening but did not want to press charges against the footballer. Yet the public prosecutor's office in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, confirmed an investigation was opened.
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PSG released a statement before the charges were made. It read: "The club supports the player, who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system. Paris St-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch."
Born in Madrid, Hakimi started his career at Real Madrid. He made 17 appearances for the Spanish club - winning the Champions League in 2018 - and spent time on loan at German side Borussia Dortmund during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.
Hakimi joined Italian outfit Inter Milan in the summer of 2020 and won the Serie A title during his only season at the club. He was signed by PSG a year later and helped them win the Ligue 1 title last year. He has played 31 club games in all competitions this season.
Hakimi is also an accomplished international. He has already won 61 senior caps for Morocco and was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar last year. That was the first time an African nation had achieved the feat.