Achraf Hakimi is included in PSG squad for crunch Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, despite French prosecutors formally investigating the star over a rape allegation
- Achraf Hakimi has been accused of raping a woman at his home last month
- Hakimi’s lawyer said the allegation is ‘false’ and he is the victim of ‘racketeering’
- PSG have backed Hakimi and have named him in the squad for the trip to Munich
Achraf Hakimi has been included in Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for their Champions League last-16 clash with Bayern Munich, despite French prosecutors formally investigating the star over a rape allegation.
Hakimi has been named in Christophe Galtier’s 22-man squad for Wednesday’s match against the German champions at the Allianz Arena.
French prosecutors opened a formal investigation last week, following an accusation Hakimi raped a woman at his home in the Paris suburbs last month.
A 24-year-old woman attended a police station last month to report an incident, but did not file charges.
The investigation was later opened with a pre-trial judge will looking over the merits of the case after Hakimi was questioned on Thursday.
Achraf Hakimi is part of the PSG squad for their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich
French prosecutors have formally placed Hakimi under an investigation for an alleged rape
Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin has said the accusations are ‘false’ and has claimed he has been the victim of ‘attempted racketeering’.
‘After several hours of hearings, what I take from it is that the accuser has not filed a legal complaint, has refused to submit herself to any medical or psychological tests, and refused to be confronted with Achraf Hakimi, even though the accusations rests solely on her words,’ Colin told L’Equipe.
‘It seems to me that according to the elements which are in the hands of the judicial police that Mr. Hakimi has, in this case, been the subject of attempted racketeering.’
Hakimi’s inclusion in the PSG squad for the Champions League last-16 match with Bayern Munich comes with Le Parisien reporting the investigation does not prohibit him from leaving the country.
The full back watched PSG’s 4-2 win over Nantes on Saturday from the stands, as he recovers from a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the French champions’ last three games.
PSG will look to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit against Bayern on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals.
PSG last week confirmed they were backing the full back with a statement saying ‘The club supports the player, who has firmly denied the accusations and trusts the justice system. Paris St-Germain is an institution that promotes respect on and off the pitch.’
Hakimi was reportedly only told about the probe being opened 90 minutes before the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony in Paris last Monday.
Hakimi, right, watched PSG’s 4-2 victory over Nantes from the stands on Saturday evening
The star, who denies the allegation, was told about the probe ahead of the FIFA Best Awards
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.
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