Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi was charged with rape on Friday, French prosecutors said.
Hakimi, 24, was questioned by prosecutors on Thursday about the allegations made by the 24-year-old woman, and later charged.
The Madrid-born player, who was a key part of Morocco’s history to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar last year, trained with his PSG teammates on Friday morning.
A PSG spokesman said the club “gives its support” to Hakimi and “trusts the justice system”.
Hakimi allegedly paid the accuser to travel to his home in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt last Saturday while his wife and children were on holiday.
The woman went to the police station on Sunday and was questioned by prosecutors on Wednesday, according to sources close to the case.
On Monday, Hakimi appeared at the FIFA Best awards ceremony in Paris, where he was named in the men’s FIFPro team of the year.
The player’s lawyer Fanny Colin said Hakimi “firmly denies all the allegations against him” and that he was the victim of a “racket of trials”.
He said Hakimi welcomed the charges because he “finally had a chance to defend himself”.
Rachel Flore Pardo, a lawyer for the alleged victim, told AFP: “My client is guarding everything he said. He made the choice to speak specifically to the prosecutor and did not want his affair to become a media issue, especially to protect his safety.
Under French law, being charged does not mean the case will go to trial.
‘Back to action’
Reigning French champions PSG are top of Ligue 1 and face Nantes on Saturday before traveling to Germany where they play Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.
The French side trailed 1-0 from the first leg.
On Friday, PSG said the right-back, who has been treated for a thigh injury, would be back “next week”, suggesting he would be in the squad for the Bayern clash.
Legal proceedings against Hakimi did not prevent him from leaving France.
Hakimi came through the youth system at Real Madrid before joining Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in 2018. He made 73 appearances for the German club.
He moved to Inter Milan in 2020 and then to PSG in 2021, where he has become an integral part of the team and made close friends with star striker Kylian Mbappe.
In Qatar, he was the cornerstone of the Moroccan team that became the first country from the Arab world to reach the last four of the World Cup.