Moroccan international footballer Achraf Hakimi has been ordered to stand trial in France over allegations of rape. The Paris Saint-Germain defender and captain of the Moroccan national team faces formal charges stemming from an incident reported by an unnamed woman at his residence in the French capital in February 2023.
Okay News reports that the committal order for the trial was officially confirmed on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. According to the original police report, the woman stated that she met the footballer on the social media platform Instagram and travelled to his home, where she alleges he touched her without consent before raping her. The player was initially charged and placed under judicial supervision in March 2023 after the woman reported the incident to a police station in Val-de-Marne, a suburb east of Paris.
Hakimi has consistently and strongly denied the allegations, taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to publicly defend his innocence. “Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial, even though I contest it and everything proves that it is false,” the footballer wrote. “It is as unfair to the innocent as it is to sincere victims. I await this trial calmly, which will allow the truth to come out publicly.”
The legal representatives for both parties have issued sharply contrasting statements regarding the decision to proceed to the Hauts-de-Seine departmental criminal court. Fanny Colin, the lawyer representing Hakimi, announced her intention to appeal the committal order. “A trial has been ordered based on an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests, refused to allow the analysis of her mobile phone, and refused to name a key witness,” Colin stated.
Conversely, Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer representing the accuser, welcomed the legal progression, noting that the order was perfectly consistent with the prosecutor’s requests. “After three years of legal battle, my client welcomes with relief the indictment of Achraf Hakimi,” Pardo said, adding that there are still circles where the MeToo movement has not broken through, particularly in men’s football. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique declined to comment extensively on the matter ahead of the club’s upcoming Champions League match, telling reporters: “It’s in the hands of the justice system.”
