In recent years, cases of harassment and rape against football players have increased, and a state of controversy has sparked accusations, cases and crises that haunt the stars of the round witch outside the green rectangle and still are, which brought to mind the cases of the French Ribery, Benzema and finally Benjamin Mendy, the Portuguese Ronaldo, the Brazilians Neymar, Robinho and Dani Alves, The last of them was the Moroccan star of Paris Saint-Germain (Ashraf Hakimi)..and the list goes on.
Some cases have been resolved and others are under investigation. Issues that occupied Arab and international sports opinion, and remained the focus of attention and material for the sports media.
These players may be rapists, or they may not be, but what is certain is that a lot is happening in the corridors of those green stadiums, and inside the dressing rooms of football teams; Stories of harassment, sexual humiliation, rape and extortion, all kept secret; In order to preserve the image of the clubs, the image of the players, and the millions that are transferred to the banks.. It is a power that some players possess as a result of their fame and wealth, enabling them to escape any accountability for their actions.
Few testimonies reached the courts, while newspaper archives are full of shy news and stories about players accused of rape and molestation of minors. Although some of them were innocent of such charges, others were convicted and imprisoned for quite some time.
List of accused
Portuguese rape allegations against Cristiano Ronaldo, after he was accused by model Kathryn Mayorga in 2018, but the player denied these allegations, and the Las Vegas court closed the case, announcing Ronaldo's acquittal.
A French court acquitted the French, Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery, of the charge of "having sex" in 2014, after the duo denied knowing the girl's age – at the time – and they faced a three-year prison sentence if convicted, but the case contributed to Benzema's removal from his country's national team for a while.
The list of those accused of rape includes the Brazilian Neymar, the Paris Saint-Germain player as well, as a model from his country accused him, but the court ruled that he was acquitted for lack of evidence.
An Italian court issued a nine-year prison sentence for Brazilian Robinho, the former Real Madrid and AC Milan player; Who, along with his accomplices, carried out “contempt for the victim and brutal humiliation,” according to the court, and this ruling caused the player’s contract to be terminated with Brazilian Santos, less than a week after he joined the team. Among those stories, especially the English, is former Manchester City player Adam Johnson; Who was sentenced in 2016 to 6 years in prison after being convicted of having sex with a minor who did not exceed 15 years, and after 3 years had passed, the player was released from prison after half of his term had expired, but he had lost everything at the time. The story of Shade Evans, the Sheffield United player, remains; Who was tried and then imprisoned for two and a half years, but surprising and new evidence soon emerged that led to his acquittal, in a case shrouded in mystery. In 2018, English coach Barry Bannell was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Where he harassed young players in Manchester City that he was training.
Hakimi: Planned betrayal, and the heroes of it are my friends
The Moroccan international player and Paris Saint-Germain star, Ashraf Hakimi, did not comment on the case of his accusation of rape, and although he remained silent, he told some of his friends that the whole case was a “trap” that had been set for him, and one of the friends was the one who spoke to the channel.
According to some sources, Hakimi "feels betrayed" by some of his close friends.
A lawyer representing the player denied the charges against him "strongly". Lawyer Fanny Collin (Wakila Hakimi) said in press statements: “Ashraf is innocent, and the accusations are false. The player is at the disposal of justice,” noting that the Paris Club supports its Moroccan player. Confirming that the matter turned out to be about an attempt to blackmail. And she stated in a statement that the French girl who accuses him refuses to “submit any medical or psychological examination, and also refused to confront the player.”
Fahad Saleh (Jeddah) @fahadoof_s