PARIS:
The wall of Paris Saint-Germain Akarafa Hakimione of Morocco’s leading stars in the semi-final of the World Cup last year, was accused of rape on Friday.
Hakimi, 24, was charged after being questioned by prosecutors Thursday about allegations made by an unidentified 24-year-old woman. .
The Madrid-born player trained with his team on Friday.
A PSG spokesman said the club “gives its support” to Hakimi and “puts its trust in the court”.
The player’s lawyer said he denies the allegations and accepted the opportunity to clear his name.
Hakimi allegedly paid the accused to travel to his house in the town of Paris in Boulogne-Billancourt last Saturday while his wife and children were away on vacation.
The woman went to the police station on Sunday and was questioned by lawyers on Wednesday, according to sources close to the case.
Although the woman refused to make a formal charge, the lawyers decided to press charges against the actor.
In Qatar, Hakimi was a cornerstone of the Morocco team that became the first African or Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
On Monday, he appeared at the FIFA Best award ceremony in Paris, where he was named FIFPro’s men’s team of the year.
Fanny Colin, Hakimi’s lawyer, said he “firmly denies all the allegations against him” and said he was the victim of “an attempt”.
He said that Hakimi accepted the charge against him because “he finally had the opportunity to defend himself”.
According to Colin, the accused Hakimi “refused to make a formal accusation and refused to undergo a medical or psychological examination”.
Rachel-Flore Pardo, the lawyer for the defendant, told AFP: “My client keeps everything he said. .”
Under French law, being charged does not mean the case will go to court.
The champion is France PSG top of Ligue 1 and face Nantes at home on Saturday before traveling to Germany where they will look to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Bayern Munich in Last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday.
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