Kheira Hamraoui, a 35-year-old midfielder, left Paris Saint-Germain in 2023 after two hard years. Now at Al-Shabab FC, she filed a complaint a month ago against PSG for moral harassment. She feels that the club has pushed her aside to get her to leave, following the terrible incident of an assault she suffered. AFP reports that this will lead to an investigation. One more, after the Kylian Mbappé affair and an action by the UNFP (Union National des Footballeurs Professionnels) against the setting up of lofts.
“Paris Saint-Germain is already the target of other accusations.”
“The complaint lodged a month ago by Kheira Hamraoui against PSG for moral harassment will lead to an investigation. This was confirmed on Tuesday by the Paris public prosecutor’s office, while the Brigade de répression de la délinquance aux personnes (BRDP) will be in charge of the investigations.
Paris Saint-Germain is already the target of other accusations. Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid striker, also lodged a complaint on May 16 against his former club, for “moral harassment and attempted extortion of signature”, according to a source close to the case. The BRDP is also investigating a wider complaint from the French players’ union UNFP concerning the recurrent practice among clubs of “lofting” players.
On June 6, according to a source close to the case, the UNFP’s lawyers, Maîtres Léon Del Forno and Julia Minkowski, filed a new complaint to have the investigations referred to an examining magistrate. A third preliminary investigation into this phenomenon is also underway at the BRDP.”
Mind you, this is not to say that PSG is necessarily guilty or a “big bad”, but it is clear that these situations are quite negative. The Hamraoui case is particularly complicated, and no one seems to be winning. We’ll have to wait and see what the courts decide.
In any case, it’s easy to understand why the sidelining of players and the creation of “lofts”, which is becoming a classic way of enticing them to leave, is being contested. It’s a difficult passage for a player, and it can upset certain boundaries. But there has to be a way of making things clear. Not to mention that too large a group of players is not an ideal place to work, especially if some of them are no longer motivated.
We’ve also seen players hang on to good salaries, when there were other opportunities to play (with remuneration far from ridiculous or worrying). These are tricky situations, and our speciality lies more on the ground. We’ll let the law do its job and settle the matter, with perhaps a few solutions to bring about a healthier atmosphere.
