FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - The Best FIFA Football Awards - Salle Pleyel, Paris, France - February 27, 2023 Paris St Germain's Achraf Hakimi before the Best FIFA Football Awards REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
PARIS (Reuters) -Paris St Germain right back Achraf Hakimi is facing a criminal investigation in France after an allegation of rape was made against him, an official from the Nanterre prosecution office said on Friday.
Hakimi, a Morocco international, firmly denied the allegation, according to his lawyer. PSG did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
The Nanterre prosecution office said Hakimi has been placed under police monitoring and was banned from contact with the alleged victim.
French newspaper Le Parisien, which first reported the investigation, said it was opened after a woman aged 24 told police last Sunday that she had been raped.
The news comes at a crucial moment for PSG, five days ahead of their Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayern Munich in which Hakimi is expected to play, having recovered from a muscle injury.
"The aim with our medical staff is for him to be available for the match against Bayern," PSG coach Christophe Galtier told a news conference on Friday. He declined to comment on the investigation.
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel and Layli Foroudi;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Toby Davis)
