Final legal blow! Hakimi loses his last appeal and will stand trial in France
Achraf Hakimi has exhausted his legal options. France's highest court has rejected his appeal, and the PSG defender will now face a criminal trial.
Details: According to CentreGoals, citing L'Équipe, Hakimi's appeal has been rejected by the Supreme Court, paving the way for a criminal trial. The case will now proceed to the departmental criminal court of Hauts-de-Seine.
The Cour de cassation's decision on Wednesday is the final stop of a long legal road: the case stems from an allegation dating back to 2023, when a woman accused the Moroccan international of rape. The investigating chamber of the Versailles Court of Appeal ordered him to stand trial back in June, a ruling that landed in the middle of Morocco's World Cup campaign, and Hakimi has now failed in his last attempt to overturn it. The 27-year-old has consistently denied the allegation and publicly stated that he is "calmly awaiting this trial, which will allow the truth to be established publicly". No date for the trial has been set yet. The timing is painful for both the player and PSG: Hakimi is coming off a spectacular season, was nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or, and remains one of the faces of the French champions. Under French law, a rape conviction carries a severe prison sentence, though it must be stressed again: Hakimi denies the accusation and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The football world will be watching Hauts-de-Seine.
It's worth noting that Hakimi is considered one of the best right-backs in the world and was instrumental in Morocco's historic run to the World Cup semifinals in 2022.
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