Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi has been formally charged with rape by French prosecutors.
Hakimi, 24, is accused of raping a woman at his home in the Paris suburbs last month.
A 24-year-old woman attended a police station on Sunday last week to report an incident, but did not file charges.
An investigation was opened into the case earlier this week, and it was confirmed on Friday morning that he has been charged over the allegations having been questioned on Thursday by investigators.
Hakimi’s lawyer said earlier in the week that the accusations are ‘false’.
French prosecutors have reportedly charged Achraf Hakimi with rape after an investigation
The defender is reportedly accused of raping a woman at his Paris home last month
‘The accusations are false. He is calm and is making himself available to the authorities,’ Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin said.
‘The club supports the player, who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system,’ PSG said in a statement earlier this week. ‘Paris St-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.’
The public prosecutor’s office handling the case refused to comment when approached earlier this week, but said information that had been published in the media ‘undermined the necessary investigations to find out the truth’.
The report detailing the charges, published in Le Parisien, claimed Hakimi was only told about the probe being opened 90 minutes before the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Paris on Monday evening.
The 24-year-old was part of the Morocco team which reached the last four of the World Cup
His performances saw him honoured at the ceremony, where he was named in the FIFPro men’s world team of the year.
Hakimi stood on stage to collect the award alongside other winners including his PSG team-mates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
Hakimi was also part of the Morocco team that finished fourth in the World Cup in Qatar.
Born in Madrid, his spot-kick secured a 3-0 penalty shoot-out win against Spain to steer Morocco into uncharted territory. The north African side went on to become the first from the Arab world to reach the last four at a World Cup.
source: dailymaol.co.uk
