Morocco coach backs Achraf Hakimi amid French investigation

SALE, Morocco (AP) — Achraf Hakimi has been called into the Morocco squad for games against Brazil and Peru while he is implicated in a rape allegation in France. Morocco coach Walid Regragui says the country supports the Paris Saint-Germain defender. Regragui says Hakimi “has the presumption of innocence until it’s proven to the contrary.” The coach named his first squad since Morocco’s historic run to the World Cup semifinals. Morocco is the first African team to get that far. Hakimi was given preliminary charges of rape on March 3 by prosecutors in the suburb of Nanterre. A 24-year-old woman said she was raped by Hakimi at his home.