Days after Achraf Hakimi was announced among the Men’s World 11 in the FIFA Best Award, he was charged with rape in Paris, indicted by an investigating judge, and placed under judicial supervision. The allegations all began when a 24-year-old woman who wishes to remain anonymous accused the full-back of Paris St. Germain of raping her on February 25 at his house in the French capital. He disputes the charges. 

According to Le Parisian’s new report, the woman went to the police station on Sunday to report the event but did not press charges. The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, which is in charge of the case, declined to comment but clarified that an inquiry had started. However, despite the allegations against Hakimi, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG), for whom he plays for, has shown their support him and denied the accusations.

The club released a statement saying, “The club supports the player, who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system — Paris St-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.” Hakimi’s lawyer also released a personal statement in which he said, “The accusations against him are false, he is calm and is at the disposal of justice,” the lawyer told the French news outlet, Le Parisien. 

These allegations against Hakimi have come as a shock to the media and supporters of the club. He has kept a clean record for himself and has proven to be a valuable player for Morocco when he made history by reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup in Qatar. 

The investigation is ongoing, and prosecutors are still determining if the rape allegations made against Hakimi are true, but there are many online speculations that the accusations are most likely false. However, as a result of this rape accusation, it is unclear if he will play for PSG in the upcoming Champions League round of 16 match against Bayern Munich on March 15.