Paris Saint-Germain women’s team midfielder Aminata Diallo says she’s innocent and denies all of the allegations linking her to a recent attack on her teammate Kheira Hamraoui. Diallo was released from police custody without charges.
Reports in France claimed the police suspected Diallo of attempting to injure her teammate by having two masked men assault her. Diallo was driving Hamraoui home following a club dinner when two assailants stopped their car and dragged the players out. Diallo was held by one of them while Hamraoui was hit by the other with a metal bar, leaving her with foot and hand injuries that needed medical attention. Diallo allegedly wanted Hamraoui injured so she could take her place on PSG’s first team.
A summer transfer to PSG from FC Barcelona, Hamraoui was unavailable for selection in the Champions League game against Real Madrid this week, with Diallo replacing her and PSG winning 4-0. Prosecutors believed there might be a connection between Diallo and the two assailants who injured Hamraoui.
Diallo proclaims innocence
On Friday, Diallo was allowed to go home without any charges filed against her. Police say the investigation is continuing. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Diallo claims she’s totally innocent.
“She formally denies the accusations,” her lawyer, Mourad Battikh, said through a statement. “Aminata Diallo deplores the perfectly artificial staging of a rivalry between her and Kheira Hamraoui that would justify her attack on her teammate. This theory does not correspond in any way to the true nature of their relationship,” Battikh added.
Despite only starting to play together this summer at the club level, Diallo and Hamraoui have been friends for a few years. Just like Diallo, Hamraoui is a French international, having featured 36 times for the national team. Hamraoui spent the last three years at FC Barcelona, but was part of PSG’s roster between 2012 and 2016, the year when Diallo arrived at Parc des Princes. Diallo herself was away last year, spending a season out on loan with Atletico Madrid.
“Paris Saint-Germain reiterates its confidence in the justice system to shed full light on the events,” PSG commented through a statement once Diallo was released by the police. “The club would like to thank everyone for showing restraint and respecting the presumption of innocence as well as the privacy of the team,” the French giants said.