Hakimi remains unfazed amid impending rape case, according to Morocco's manager

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Hakimi

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Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi is “very calm” despite confirmation that he faces trial in France on rape charges, his national team coach Mohamed Ouahbi said after the 1-0 win over Scotland at the World Cup on Friday.

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“He is fine. He woke up this morning, ate like everyone else, got ready for the game and motivated everyone,” Ouahbi said of the Paris Saint-Germain player.

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“He was there in the dressing room, focused and determined to put in a big performance. He did that, and so there is nothing to say. We are behind him, and he is very calm, totally unfazed.”

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Hakimi, 27, is facing allegations that he raped a 24-year-old woman in the Paris region in 2023, which he denies.

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The reigning African footballer of the year was regularly booed by fans in the crowd of over 64,000 at the Gillette Stadium near Boston during Friday’s encounter.

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His team’s win over Scotland followed a 1-1 draw with Brazil in their opening World Cup game last weekend, leaving them with four points from two outings in Group C.

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They now face Haiti in Atlanta next Wednesday as they aim to clinch a place in the next round.

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“He will play more great games. He is the best right-back in the world and he is going to show that at this World Cup,” Ouahbi added.

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“He is a very important person for me, for the staff, for the players, for the Moroccan team.”

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Ismael Saibari was Morocco’s match-winner against Scotland with a goal after just 71 seconds, the earliest so far at this year’s World Cup.

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It was a second goal of the tournament for the 25-year-old, who also netted against Brazil.

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The Spanish-born PSV Eindhoven star is understood to be close to sealing a 55 million-euro ($63m) move to Bayern Munich.

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“It has been a dream of mine since I was little to play at a World Cup for my country,” he said, as he played down suggestions that he is the revelation of the tournament so far.

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“I have done it, and scored two goals. So I am really pleased but the most important thing is to get out of the group and go as far as possible.”

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AFP

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