Rabat – Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi has been arbitrarily excluded from the Marc-Vivien Foé Award shortlist, a prize organized by RFI and France 24.
Following the publication of the shortlist, L’Équipe presented the list with a brief and provocative introduction, mentioning a Senegalese player at the beginning of the paragraph before naming the nominees.
It included phrasing such as “unlike Bamba Dieng…” while presenting the candidates for the award. L’Equipe alleged that the decision is due to the ongoing legal case Hakimi is facing due to rape allegations.
“For Achraf Hakimi to be excluded from a list of eleven players nominated for the title of best African player of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season, there was necessarily a non-sporting reason,” L’Equipe added.
It alleged that Hakimi was excluded due to “his indictment in a legal case. Indeed, among the selection criteria, it is specified that players must have ‘exemplary conduct both on and off the pitch.’”
A verdict on the case has still not been reached yet.
L’Equipe’s reporting and Hakimi’s exclusion from the list also comes amid the international’s shining career, which earned him the African Ballon d’Or last year.
Hakimi also was the winner of Marc-Vivien Foe award last year.
Hakimi, who has been outstanding both at AFCON and with his club PSG, won the AFCON trophy with Morocco.
In the ongoing season; he played 15 games, scoring two m goals and making one assist in Ligue 1.
In the UEFA Champions League Hakimi appeared 10 times, scoring one goal for PSG.
L’Equipe’s provocative tone comes amid its ongoing rhetoric, especially following CA’s decision to award Morocco the AFCON final after it declared Senegal has breached the tournament regulations by withdrawing the match and causing a stoppage time of 15 minutes on January 18.
The legal case
The Nanterre prosecutor’s office opened an investigation in 2023 after a woman accused Hakimi of alleged rape.
The case dates back to February 2023, when a 24-year-old woman accused Hakimi of allegedly forcing her into a non-consensual sexual act at his home near Paris.
According to the woman’s allegations, she met the footballer through Instagram and was driven to his house in a car he arranged.
She claimed he kissed and touched her even after she said no, adding she managed to push him away and later called a friend to pick her up.
Hakimi has strongly denied the accusations against him.
In September last year, the international football player opened up about the allegations, stressing that they impacted not only him but also his family and children.
In the interview, Hakimi said the allegations are a lie.
“I know that I have not done anything and that I would never do that,” Hakimi said. He added that he is at peace, hoping that the truth will soon be revealed.
“It hurts. It hurts my family, my children, who are still young and don’t know what the internet or reading is. I know that at some point in their lives they will read these things, and for me, seeing that something about their father was written-and on top of that, that it’s a lie, is not something pleasant. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he said.
Messages found by investigators show the woman was texting a friend throughout the visit to Hakimi’s place. She claimed she was being assaulted, but also said in her police statement that Hakimi “was not violent.” Her friend came to collect her afterwards.
Some messages sent before the meeting also raised questions. In the messages, the woman and her friend joked and referred to playing the role of a “femme fatale.” One message said they were going to “crack the codes” and “rob him.” Hakimi’s lawyer said these messages suggest a possible attempt to financially blackmail him.
