PARIS, France: A French appeals court confirmed on Friday, June 19, 2026, that Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for the alleged rape of a woman in 2023.
The Versailles Court of Appeal delivered the ruling upholding the lower court charges against the player. Okay News reports that the Versailles Court of Appeal confirmed the case will proceed to a criminal trial in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
Achraf Hakimi, who is the captain of the Morocco national football team and a Paris Saint-Germain defender, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. “At last, I’ll be able to speak,” Hakimi wrote on the social media platform X shortly after the ruling, adding that he had been “waiting for this trial since day one.”
The allegations dates back to February 2023 when a woman, then aged 24, told police in the Val-de-Marne region that the player had raped her at his home after they met on Instagram in January 2023. Speaking under the pseudonym Jeanne to the media outlet Mediapart on Thursday, June 18, 2026, the woman stated she wanted a trial to defend herself and be heard. “I want to explain myself. I want people to believe me,” she said.
The lawyer representing the player, Fanny Colin, stated that the judicial confirmation was expected. “Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” Fanny Colin said.
The lawyer for the plaintiff, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said the decision brought her client relief and hope. A date has not been announced for the start of the trial.
