A French appeals court in Versailles rejected Ashraf Hakimi’s appeal and upheld an order for the Morocco and Paris Saint-Germain defender to stand trial in the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court on rape charges. The case stems from a complaint filed in 2023, and the trial is expected in the coming months.
According to the complaint, a young woman contacted Hakimi on Instagram and later came to his home, where she says he touched her breast without consent and then raped her. In her testimony, she said, "He behaved like an animal, showed no gentleness and seemed desperate for sex."
Hakimi denies the allegations. In a post on X, he wrote, "Justice looked me in the eyes and said: 'If you were not famous, there would be no case at all.'" He added that he had remained silent for years out of faith in the legal system and that he had been waiting for the hearing since the beginning so he could finally speak.
His lawyer, Fanny Colin, said she was disappointed and argued the court ignored "the contradictions and lies of the complainant," as well as hidden information, obstruction of the search for truth, and psychological assessments that suggested ambivalence and a lack of clarity about the facts she described. The complainant’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, welcomed the decision, saying that after more than three years of legal battle it brought relief and hope, and could help other women challenge the denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including in men’s football.