PSG’s Hakimi to face rape trial as court rejects final appeal

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi is facing a rape trial after France’s highest court rejected his final appeal. The Court of Cassation ruled on Wednesday that there were no serious grounds to admit his appeal, meaning the proceedings will now proceed before a criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

Hakimi's lawyer, Bertrand Périer, confirmed the decision in a statement, stating that the Court of Cassation judged that no serious means were of a nature to allow its admission. Périer also mentioned his client's determination to see the case through, despite the allegations having been "slandered and dragged through the mud" by his defense.

The complainant's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, expressed her client's determination to obtain justice and hoped that the trial would help other women and contribute to breaking down the "fortress of denial and impunity for sexual violence, even in the world of men's football."