Around a week ago, PSG’s Aminata Diallo and Kheira Hamraoui were stopped in their car, dragged out and assaulted by masked men. The incident happened after both footballers were traveling back home together after a family event organized by the club. Whilst Hamraoui was left with injuries that got her multiple stitches, Diallo managed to escape unhurt.
The French police have been investigating this issue since the day it happened, and they have found new leads to take the case forward. Hamraoui, the former Barcelona star who moved back to PSG only this season, had Diallo’s name in the list of suspects when summoned by the local police.
Although both are considered friendly on the outside, the investigation team reckons there could be some sporting rivalry between both players that may have played a part in this attack. There were some suspicions among the police personnel, and they had interrogated the 26-year-old for 35 hours.
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According to the 31-year-old midfielder, Diallo had taken a suspicious route going back home. She was also driving the vehicle very slow, which makes the entire case pretty open-ended. The police had found Diallo to be very cooperative, and she said that narrow roads were the only reason why she was driving slowly.
Both footballers were interviewed together in Versailles, which provided the police a good perspective of both versions of the story. Sakina Karchaoui, the 25-year-old left-back of PSG who is their teammate, was also called up for the interrogation.
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Diallo had replaced Hamraoui in the PSG squad for their Women’s Champions League game against Real Madrid at Parc de Princes, which the hosts won 4-0. She did not start the game, and failed to get some minutes even off the bench. Whilst Hamraoui had missed training sessions from before this fixture, Diallo too missed training Friday.
There was a media event planned by PSG, but was later cancelled because of the incident. This incident has come as a major shocker for all the players and club officials, who were eagerly looking forward to an action-packed two weeks of football after that family dinner night when the assault happened.
PSG had a couple of big games coming up, and they had already cleared one hurdle against Real. They were going to lock horns with the record French league champions and arch-rivals Lyon on Sunday night. The game will not include any of the two players who were involved in the attack and this incident could act as a major mood spoiler.
As it stands, both PSG and Lyon are top of the table in the league, with seven wins each to their credit. Lyon are edging the Paris unit out on goal difference. Although Lyon have been in staggering form offensively, PSG have been impressive in every department, and are yet to concede a goal this season across competitions.
There was a lot of money invested into the women’s team of PSG, which helped them win the league title for the first time in their history. Lyon, who have exerted their dominance in this competition, winning it 14 times in the past, now face a stern test not just in the league, but also in the Champions League.
Among the many major acquisitions the club has made in the last few seasons, Hamraoui’s return to Paris was a major one. She was a part of the extraordinary Barcelona unit that won the Spanish league and Champions League title and made 13 appearances across competitions for the Catalan side.
Having made nearly 100 appearances for PSG in her previous stint, Hamraoui is expected to add that much-needed experience in the midfield to help the club reach higher places and potentially win the Champions League.
