Achraf Hakimi to Face Rape Trial After French Court Rejects Appeal

A French appeals court has confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco star Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape. The Versailles Court of Appeal rejected his bid to have the case dismissed, lawyers told the Associated Press on Friday.

The 27-year-old defender, currently playing for Morocco at the World Cup, was first accused in March 2023. A 24-year-old woman told police Hakimi raped her at his home in a Paris suburb, after the two met on Instagram.

Hakimi was charged and referred to trial in February 2026. He appealed, but the court ruled there were enough grounds for a criminal trial. No trial date has been set yet.

Hakimi denies the allegations. In a post on X, he said his case would have been dismissed if he weren’t famous, calling himself “an easy target.” His lawyer, Fanny Colin, said the evidence uncovered “would, in any other case, have led to the dismissal of the proceedings.”

The plaintiff’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, welcomed the ruling, saying it gave her client “a sense of relief and hope” after over three years of legal proceedings. She added she hopes the trial will “help other women and further weaken the fortress of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence” in football.

The ruling came hours before Morocco’s World Cup match against Scotland, following their 1-1 draw with Brazil in the opening game.