UPDATE 1-Morocco and PSG player Hakimi to stand trial on rape charge

Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, due to join Morocco's squad, welcomed the opportunity to clear his name after a French court rejected his appeal on a rape charge.

Paris Saint-Germain defender ​Achraf Hakimi, who is due ‌to ​join the Morocco squad against Scotland later on Friday, said he faced trial on a rape charge and ‌welcomed the opportunity to put across his point of view. Hakimi, 27, who played for Morocco during its World Cup opener against Brazil on Sunday, had appealed his referral ‌to criminal court. French media reported earlier that the Versailles appeals court had ‌rejected the appeal, paving the way for his trial in a criminal court at some point in the future.

"Today, a story that isn't mine is being told at the expense of my family, ⁠my ​life, and above all, ⁠the truth. Sometimes I feel like I've become an easy target," the star defender wrote in ⁠a post on social media platform X. "I've been waiting for this trial since day one. ​And now I'm looking forward to it. Finally, I'll be able to speak ⁠out."

It was not immediately clear when the trial would start. The Versailles appeals court, Hakimi's lawyer, PSG ⁠and ​the Moroccan national football association did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was also not immediately clear if Hakimi would take to the pitch ⁠in Boston later on Friday. The Nanterre prosecutor's office opened an investigation in 2023 ⁠after an allegation ⁠of rape was made against Hakimi. French newspaper Le Parisien reported at the time that a then-24-year-old woman said she had ‌been raped.