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Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi could be made available for selection while being investigated for alleged rape, according to ESPN. The Spain-born, Morocco international was the subject of a complaint over the weekend when a 23-year-old woman told police authorities in Paris that she had been raped by the 24-year-old.
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the allegations against Hakimi though the victim has not yet filed an official complaint or pressed charges. The PSG player has not been charged by authorities. Hakimi’s legal representative Fanny Colin has denied any wrongdoing with the following response to French publication Le Parisien, who reported the story in France earlier this week.
“These accusations are false. Achraf is relaxed and at the service of the justice authorities.”
The French champions and Hakimi himself are yet to issue any official public statement on the matter outside of a response to Le Parisien: “The club supports the player who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system. PSG is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch,” the statement read.
Given PSG’s current stance, Hakimi could be back in action against Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday if he has fully recovered from an injury suffered against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, which also kept him out of the wins over Lille and Marseille.
Hakimi was present at the FIFA Best awards this past Monday and was part of the FIFPRO World XI for 2022 thanks to his role in Morocco’s surprise run to the FIFA 2022 World Cup semifinals as the Atlas Lions shocked the soccer world.
