Paris Saint-Germain’s Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi has released a statement on social media after being ordered to stand trial on rape charges in France.
Achraf Hakimi denies the allegations against him (Image: Nicolas Gaudin/Getty Images)
Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has once again declared his innocence after it was revealed he must stand trial for rape. Hakimi was first indicted in February 2023 following the alleged crimes in Paris and has always denied wrongdoing.
The 27-year-old was ordered to appear at Hauts-de-Seine criminal court on charges of rape. He is accused of raping a 24-year-old woman at her home in the Boulogne-Billancourt area of the French capital on February 25, 2023.
The Morocco captain strongly denied the allegations and reaffirmed his position on social media on Tuesday. Hakimi wrote to X: “Today, a rape accusation is enough to warrant a trial, even if I dispute it and everything is proven to be false. It’s just as unfair to the innocent as it is to the honest victim. I calmly await this trial, so the truth will come out publicly.”
Hakimi addressed the allegations in September. “For me, this is the most painful thing that has ever happened,” he told Canal+. “And to tell you the truth, this was the worst blow I’ve ever received. I think it was pretty hard for me, and it still is, because when they keep telling you lie after lie, it hurts.
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“It’s hard for the family and for the kids to be young and not know what the internet and reading is. I know they’re going to read something at some point in their lives, but for me to see something written about their father and it’s a lie, it’s not very fun and I honestly don’t want that for my kids.
“I think my lawyer said that. We knew this could happen. We’re calm. I know what I’m being accused of. It’s a lie. I know who I am. I know I didn’t do anything. And I never would. I asked the police to explain my side of things to them.”
“Whenever they need me for something… what’s more, they have my DNA. Whatever they needed, I was available, unlike the person who accused me and didn’t make things easy. Thanks to the work of the police, we were able to find quite a few good things. The truth is, I’m calm. I know I’m on good terms with my lawyers. The judiciary is doing its job. I hope the truth comes out soon.”
Achraf Hakimi is Morocco’s captain (Image: Ulrik Pedersen/Getty Images)
He added: “We are exposed to a lot of things. We are exposed to things like girls coming up to us. Intimidation… I think there are a lot of people in the football world who take advantage of us. And when you don’t have people around you, these things happen to you.”
“They undermined my dignity, because I know what’s really going on, especially the fact that they’re falsely accusing me. And it’s not nice to be accused of something you’re not guilty of. I don’t want that to happen to anyone.”
Hakimi joined French giants PSG from Inter Milan in 2021 for a fee of £51 million. He played in 194 games for the club, scoring 28 goals and providing 38 assists, helping the club win four Ligue 1 titles and the Champions League.
