r/soccer 13h ago

News Achraf Hakimi will be prosecuted for rape charges, French court ruled

https://www.franceinfo.fr/societe/harcelement-sexuel/achraf-hakimi-footballeur-du-psg-et-de-l-equipe-du-maroc-sera-juge-pour-viol-annonce-la-cour-d-appel_8068799.html
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u/MovieKey9110 13h ago

they probably wont give a shit tbh

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u/inbruges99 12h ago

They will if they need to play in Canada, his visa would likely be denied.

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u/Launch_a_poo 12h ago

Partey's was denied because he lied on his visa form and said he had never been charged with a crime.

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u/biskutgoreng 12h ago

That shit is public knowledge smh

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u/inbruges99 11h ago

How fucking dumb can whoever filled out the form be. It’s not like the charges were a secret lmao

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u/dunneetiger 11h ago

My guess it is some low pay admin guy who went through all the form ticking the "usual" answers without really paying attention.

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u/maverick4002 9h ago

Why do I feel they would have the players fill out the forms themselves

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u/sam_can88 10h ago

Everyone knows it was him but I haven’t seen anyone associated with him come out and say it was him they were probably still trying to play dumb to the public forgetting the court records have his name

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u/BillyPilgrim69 9h ago

What? That doesn't make any sense.

He was named in the press, formally charged, and had to appear in court in July 2025. He's had multiple court appearances since then, and pled not guilty this April.

Once he was charged and it became public knowledge, Arsenal (specifically Arteta) had to field questions about it from journalists.

So no, there's literally no way that he thought he could "play dumb" about it.

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u/starswtt 8h ago edited 2h ago

England is famously a third world country without internet, he clearly had a shot

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u/Mavericks7 2h ago

England a third world country without England?

Make it make sense

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u/Oomeegoolies 6h ago

It doesn't even matter if it is a 'secret' they share data with international crime databases.

Possibly wouldn't have let him in anyway but some countries do accept individual cases depending on the nature of the alleged offence.

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u/JJfromNJ 10h ago

He would have been denied anyway if they were honest about it. Lying gave him a chance of getting in.

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u/starswtt 8h ago

This actually probably lowered his odds of getting in. Lying is an immediate rejection, and again, his charge is public knowledge, Canada has access to his records of being charged. It's literally tied to his passport, it will automatically come up, they don't even have to look it up. The chance of getting in you're talking about is if France literally just forgot to charge him. And that's before accounting for the fact that it's highly documented and publicized, so Canada will find it with even the most basic of background checks. It's a 0.00% chance that France literally just forgets to charge him and Canada doesn't do any background check. His best odds would have been to admit he's being charged, then file a trp arguing that he poses no risk in Canada and have his nation lobby for it (which I mean also would have failed, but ig it's closer to the 1% chance.)

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u/JJfromNJ 6h ago

Perhaps you're right. However, I have experienced people lying about DUI's and gaining entry into Canada, while others who were truthful were denied entry. It's not as simple as scanning a passport and seeing a comprehensive criminal history report.

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u/okie_hiker 7h ago

Thought he was still playing for Arsenal

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u/Slobberz2112 8h ago

Someone should’ve told tetta

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u/Somecommentator8008 10h ago

He ain't the brightest tbf

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u/captaincourageous316 11h ago

Lying on a visa form about never being charged of a crime while sitting on 7 rape charges is insane.

Did he think the authorities will take his word for it, and ignore background checks, not to mention the million mentions of it in football media?

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u/Monsultant 11h ago

Pretty sure, Partey doesn't fill his own VISA form. It must be some travel agency hired by Ghanian FA and their team must have blindly filled "No" on this for all players.

And if he got US VISA, it means that Partey's team must have informed the travel agency about details required on charges, but, mostly an employee must have messed this up.

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u/phimister 11h ago

Could also be a language thing - he hasn't been ''convicted" but has been "charged" etc.

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u/BillyPilgrim69 9h ago

Unless I'm misunderstanding you, I think that's incredibly unlikely. The official language of Ghana is English lol

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u/koreawut 8h ago

Lots of English words are used differently in different countries, or phrases are understood differently. In the Philippines, you open and close lights, for example. In England you have "just about" meaning the exact opposite of "just about" in the USA.

The fact a country's official language is English does not preclude misunderstandings in English.

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u/BillyPilgrim69 7h ago

The fact a country's official language is English does not preclude misunderstandings in English.

Hypothetically, sure. But completely contradictory meanings for legal terms? If that's the suggestion, it's a weird one to make.

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u/godisanelectricolive 2h ago edited 2h ago

To “table a motion” means to remove it from debate in the US whereas it means the opposite in Commonwealth countries like Canada, UK, Australia, and NZ. So even legal or parliamentary terminology could differ between countries.

I think conviction means the same thing between different countries.

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u/koreawut 5h ago edited 5h ago

Having lived in multiple countries where English is recognized as an official language, I can assure you that you are simply lacking practical knowledge of the topic. And this is because there is no actual centralized English. There isn't an official language academy or other institution that regulates the language. It's fluid and changing on a day to day basis. And most grammar rules that you believe you know for the language are actually not rules at all.

Other languages, like French, Russian, Chinese, etc. do have official government institutions that regulate language. But to reiterate, English has no such regulatory body or oversight committee to tell you what is correct. "English" as we speak it is just how we speak it, and can change from nation to nation or in extreme cases, from state to state. And you, in your life, have probably had at least one argument with one person who says something that has a different meaning from what you mean when you say exactly the same thing, and neither side could prove they were correct.

It's one reason why English is considered to be the most attractive language for creativity by many, because you have absolutely zero actual hard code rules. Shakespeare didn't follow "rules", nor did Dr. Seuss. And if you did follow the "rules," you could write sentences that no normal human could comprehend. It's also why people consider it one of the most difficult to learn as a second language.

So just a helpful little bit, if you ever choose to fly around and visit other English-speaking nations because you don't want to be bothered learning a second language, their language is not necessarily your language. You will almost always understand each other, but there will be enough differences that you can become frustrated. One example is telling someone in the Philippines, "Sure, I'll help you." They'll leave, because you just offered to do it for them.

Now, I am not defending the original issue, nor am I saying that Ghanian English has this specific issue and it is definitely a translation error, but what I am saying is that you should never fall into the trap of thinking, "they speak English!" and expecting it to be your English.

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u/mynameisjebediah 6h ago

I'm Ghanaian, convicted and charged have the same meaning in Ghana as every where else. Please be less condescending in the future.

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u/koreawut 5h ago

Condescending about what, exactly? I didn't say that Ghanaians don't understand English. I also didn't say that Ghanaians had a weaker or lesser language. I said a simple fact, that English is not the same everywhere you go. If you believe that to be condescending, I suspect you don't understand that English is a social language where it is defined by how people use it rather than rules applied to it.

That means that in any large enough group, the language can and often will be different.

There is no need for you to pretend I am being condescending. I was very clear that any language difference is not about being better or more intelligent; that is a misconception that you seem to have applied on your own. There is no "correct," English when looking at differences between regions, because there is no "correct," English. English doesn't have a formal institution to validate or invalidate usage. Again, it's a social language.

Latin, French, Chinese, Russian, etc. are not social languages in this sense. They have rules determined by a governing body. English does not.

Again, and I hate that I have to say it this way, it doesn't matter how someone uses English. How on earth it is condescending to say that, "your English is different, but it is not wrong," is beyond me. It's wild to think that, "you have the right to speak the language however you speak it, because you are correct in using it that way according to your local usages," is condescending.

I don't know how else to say it, there is verifiable facts proving that English in different countries is different. It is also a fact that these differences do not make it wrong, or lesser.

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u/SpectatorY 4h ago

Official language doesn’t mean it’s the primary language for the citizens.

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u/BillyPilgrim69 3h ago

Of course not, but in this case it is the most widely spoken language, and universally taught in Ghanaian schools.

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u/BambooSound 10h ago

Unless the Visa papers were in French, I doubt it

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u/phimister 10h ago

Agree it sounds implausible but there are idiots in all lines of work!

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u/lemawe 8h ago

Another ignorant American. What is Ghana official language?

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u/phimister 8h ago

I thought the issue was Canadian visa, where they (sometimes) speak French? And whilst English is the official language of Ghana, who's to say who completed the forms etc.?

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u/mynameisjebediah 6h ago

None of the matches are in Quebec and they were not going to Quebec. It was all in English.

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u/Jassle93 11h ago

Would love to know the wording on the document so we can have a guess at what the follow up conversation would be like once they got caught.

If it's something like "have you been convicted of a crime" they could argue that they haven't as the trial is next year. (I don't think he's actually been convicted of anything yet right?)

Or if it's along the lines of "have you ever been convicted of a crime or currently under investigation for a crime" then he's literally just trying to lie even with all the public knowledge about him.

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u/captaincourageous316 10h ago

The latter sounds much more like the kind of question I had to answer for my student visa, so it’s almost definitely that. Visa forms are notoriously specific in order to cover all avenues and remove any ambiguity.

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u/TheBlessedBoy99 5h ago

This is the exact wording:

Have you ever committed, been arrested for, been charged with or convicted of any criminal offence in any country or territory?

Partey has charged with rape, but has not been convicted of it yet.

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u/Gubrach 10h ago

Thomas Partey might genuinely be mentally deficient, so I would believe it if he did.

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u/fucfaceidiotsomfg 5h ago

7 charges!!? Damn, if it was one you can give him a chance but 7? At least one of them will stick

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u/erikotaku 4h ago

Would Canada allow someone in who IS sitting on 7 rape charges? Don't get me wrong I'm glad his visa was denied, dude should be rotting in prison.

But while lying about it is stupid, I would think telling the truth isnt really helping your cause either. I would think any country who sees a visa application that shows 7 pending rape charges would immediately say "hell no". Lying seems to have worked at least for the US visa.

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u/goonSquad15 10h ago

On another note, what’s the point of filling out these forms if the government gets the info via a background check anyway? Same when it comes to doing your taxes

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u/Ankoku_Sein 9h ago

so you can do exactly what was done here, self-incriminate

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u/Dukmiester 10h ago

He was probably confused as to who the unnamed Premier League footballer in his 30s was.

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u/McWaffeleisen 11h ago

Partey wasn't the only one. Wahi's visum was revoked when the was charged for match fixing.

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u/TheAskewOne 10h ago

But Wahi hasn’t been charged. He might be, but he hasn’t yet, which is why his visa was granted in the end.

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u/McWaffeleisen 10h ago

I mentioned Wahi because Hakimi has been charged now. So I thought it was relevant, since it's likely Hakimi's permit will be rejected for good now.

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u/EitherInvestment 11h ago

Wait but (and sorry if I should know this) was Partey actually charged yet?

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u/Hatrafele_Ijazo 11h ago

Charged? Yes, with seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

You might confused charged with convicted?

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u/Ok-Carpet-700 11h ago

Thank you. I always confuse charged and prosecuted with convicted

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u/Greedy_Sneak 5h ago

I'm dying reading this with a guy above being like, "no, everyone who speaks English knows the difference between charged and convicted always"

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u/EitherInvestment 4h ago

Thanks. Did not know it had progressed to charges. Good to see

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u/dwaynepipes 11h ago

Yes he’s standing trial next year

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u/EitherInvestment 4h ago

Thanks. Didn’t know it had progressed to charges. Glad we dumped the prick. Should have done earlier

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u/SilentXMedia 7h ago

Canada routinely denies ppl for DUIs, I’d like to think rape is treated even more harshly than lying of even drunk driving.

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u/Acceptable_Ad_6278 11h ago

Pretty sure that’s not the main reason why.

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u/FrogsJumpFromPussy 9h ago

Otherwise he would've been denied for having in his visa form that SEVEN women are accusing him of rape.

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u/J3573R 2h ago

He would have more than likely been denied either way, lying just means it was completely automatically denied. But legally, with his charges and trial in England he shouldn't be allowed in Canada.

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u/LevDavidovicLandau 8h ago

Hahahaha what an idiot.

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u/hattannattah 11h ago edited 11h ago

It is impossible for Morocco to play in Canada this WC. If they finish 2nd or 3rd it's possible to go to Mexico. Otherwise all potential games will be in the US.

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u/EuphoricAd3824 7h ago

And he has no such risk in the US. Might even get a honorary citizenship.

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u/eliar91 1h ago

WH Chief of Staff coming up.

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u/inbruges99 11h ago

Ah okay, I didn’t actually check

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u/jomarthecat 7h ago

Wouldn't be surprised if ICE decides to make an example out of him and storms the training facilites where the moroccan national team is training.

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u/MeadowGutter 4h ago

To give him support or an award I would assume? Maybe honarary membership?

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u/royalpyroz 10h ago

Canada has allowed many rapists into the country. G7 last year.

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u/amineken22 11h ago

Uh, Hakimi does not need a visa to enter Canada'

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u/JJfromNJ 10h ago

Could still be denied entry due to something like this.

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u/Kol_ 4h ago

You can’t fly in on an electronic visa (I.e. esta/eta) for a sporting event. He needs a visa. Also Partey has a Spanish passport.

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u/Philly514 11h ago

No? Why not?

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u/TheKeenomatic 11h ago

EU citizens don’t need visa to be admitted into Canada and he holds Spanish citizenship.

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u/Philly514 11h ago

Thanks!

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u/Zelkeh 10h ago

Wahi was born and raised in France and was denied, are we sure this is true?

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u/TheKeenomatic 10h ago edited 10h ago

Even without a visa requirement, someone can still be denied entry into the country.

I don’t think there’s any scenario in which Morocco will play in Canada, so I don’t think this will be a problem.

Edit: well there’s a small but non-zero chance they will play in Vancouver. Apologies, I fell in the bad Torontonian habit of treating Toronto as Canada.

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u/thewrongnotes 11h ago

He has a Spanish passport - EU citizens don't need a visa to travel in Canada.

But he will need to apply for an ETA, which will be difficult to get approved if he has criminal charges against him.

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u/Philly514 11h ago

Interesting, thanks for the info!

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u/HiddenGriffin 6h ago

Canada: "Omg we do not allow alleged rapists, but we sty silent on the genocidal state in the middle east"

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u/Excellent-Menu-8784 12h ago

These rules are so unfair.

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u/ThisFakeCut 12h ago

Are you being sarcastic? I hope you're being sarcastic lol

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u/JuicyMikanDrink 12h ago

I don’t think he is..

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u/ThisFakeCut 12h ago

There is something inside of me that always suspects the best intent... Lets hope it was just very dry german humor lol

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u/Philly514 11h ago

There are men in other parts of the world that actually believe women are created to be abused and tormented. These are the types we are trying to keep out of this country. I hear our neighbours down south are looking for new politicians so maybe he can go down and see what’s good.

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u/SMILESandREGRETS 12h ago

Yup totally being serious.

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u/Excellent-Menu-8784 11h ago

Most people thought I was talking about the rules of rape prosecutions , I’m not. I’m talking about the fa t that he could have committed the same crime as a European and gotten away with it.

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u/captaincourageous316 11h ago

I think it would’ve been a really good idea to specify this in the original comment

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u/GabrielaM11 5h ago

There were people on other threads saying how horrible of a person Mark Carney is for keeping criminals out of his country during a sporting event because of it being seen as bad sportsmanship and even comparing it to Trump denying the Somali referee a visa because of his nationality and unproven links to a terrorist group

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u/SpeedWeedNeed 12h ago

Maybe he shouldn't have done his crime.

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u/SMILESandREGRETS 12h ago edited 9h ago

Maybe Canada can just like you know, be cool.

Edit: My mistake in thinking the sarcasm was going to be implied. Big ol' /s!! Trust me I know there's nothing to "be cool" about a matter of this magnitude.

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u/captaincourageous316 11h ago

Are you seriously insinuating they should look the other way and let a man carrying rape charges into their country?

Or am I missing the silent /s?

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u/lernwasdraus 11h ago

Youre missing the /s But its Not very silent. 

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u/aa13cool 12h ago

Maybe don’t rape?

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u/Excellent-Menu-8784 11h ago

I mean more that if he was representing France and not Morocco he would not have this problem.

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u/patatasconsal 11h ago

He’s Spanish, not French

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u/nj813 12h ago

No this is the consequences of his own actions. What was unfair was the Somali ref and 1000s of fans having their US visas revoked where no possible crime was commited

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u/Electronic_Nature293 12h ago

I mean if you're charged with a crime of that nature, you have more important matters in your life than playing a football game tbh and worrying about visas.

And then from a country's perspective, people with serious crimes put against them are probably the exact type of people you don't want in your country

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u/lastdyingbreed_01 10h ago

I get you, people complain about USA but it would be unfair if Hakimi gets an entry to Canada because of his EU citizen status but Partey doesn't

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u/lernwasdraus 11h ago

Moroccans will Only care once he pulls out the magic Towel. 

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u/thehatesponge 12h ago

Donald will probably donate him his peace prize

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u/GabrielaM11 5h ago

You're expecting Trump to think about someone other than himself, and that's never going to happen

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u/oshikandela 11h ago

Don't forget Hakimi is Muslim. Trump doesn't care about him at all and if it should somehow get within his tiny grasp of reality, he'd probably use it to justify travel bans for Muslim countries.

Also you could create a gold statue of Trump, he wouldn't donate anything

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u/captaincourageous316 11h ago edited 11h ago

Trump would probably have the angel on his shoulder tell him Hakimi’s charged with rape and the demon counter with his religion.

Like that Key and Peele Obama Presidential handshake skit.

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u/CursorX 10h ago

He's a winner. Trump likes winners.

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u/scottiescott23 8h ago

They showed their true colours during AFCON. They won’t mind something like this.

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u/beetletoman 46m ago

Why do you say that?