2025 CAF Player of the Year Hakimi set to stand trial for rape

Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after France’s highest court rejected his latest appeal against the charge.

The 27-year-old has consistently denied the allegation and has now exhausted his legal attempts to have the case dismissed ahead of a trial that could take place next year.

Hakimi’s appeal to France’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court, was rejected on Wednesday, confirming that the case will proceed to trial in the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department, west of Paris.

The decision follows earlier setbacks for the PSG full-back. Hakimi was charged with rape on March 2, 2023, five days after the alleged incident at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt.

The accusation relates to an alleged encounter with a woman who had been communicating with Hakimi on Instagram. She alleged that the footballer assaulted her after she arrived at his home on February 25, 2023.

Hakimi has firmly denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. After the Court of Appeal of Versailles rejected his attempt to have the charge dismissed on June 19, he wrote on X that he had been waiting for the trial and added: “Finally, I will be able to speak.”

The Morocco international has now tried every available legal avenue to have the case thrown out before trial.

The latest ruling does not determine Hakimi’s guilt or innocence. His lawyer, Fanny Colin, stressed that the Court of Cassation had not examined the allegations themselves and said the defence would present its evidence publicly during the trial.

“Mr Hakimi, who has nothing to hide, has for his part fully cooperated with the police and judicial authorities and will continue to do so during the forthcoming trial,” Colin told The Athletic.

The accuser’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, welcomed the decision, saying her client was determined to obtain justice after three and a half years of legal proceedings.

Hakimi’s legal battle comes as he continues to enjoy a prominent football career. He is among the 30 nominees for next month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in London and has been a key figure for a PSG side that has won two successive Champions League titles.

The defender missed PSG’s recent La Classique against Marseille with a thigh injury, but the legal proceedings now represent another major chapter in his career.

Hakimi has maintained that the allegations are false and has previously said he believes his fame made him an easy target. With the Court of Cassation rejecting his appeal, his opportunity to address the allegations in full will now come at trial.