The captain of Morocco's national football team, Achraf Hakimi, will stand trial for rape, a French court of appeals confirmed on Friday.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender strongly denies the allegations. After the ruling was announced, he posted on social media that he has been "waiting for this trial since day one. At last I'll be able to speak."
A date has not been announced for the start of the trial at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
The player is charged with raping a woman at his home outside Paris in 2023. The plaintif alleges that Hakimi kissed her and touched her without her consent and then raped her.
"This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence," Hakimi's lawyer Fanny Colin said.
