French female soccer player Aminata Diallo, formerly of Paris Saint-Germain, has been arrested and charged with aggravated violence in connection to the November 2021 attack on her then-teammate Kheira Hamraoui.
Diallo, a midfielder, is being kept in custody on the order of the judge. She was arrested on Friday following the apprehension of four men who admitted to being involved in the attack.
“All four alleged Diallo was the instigator of the assault, in order to allow her to be given the place of the victim [in the PSG team] in future games,” the Versailles prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Diallo was also arrested last year as part of the original investigation, but was released. She denied any connection to the crime. But according to ESPN, Diallo’s phone was tapped as part of the investigation and police discovered she was planning another attack on Hamraoui. Diallo’s contract with PSG ended last year and was not renewed.
On November 4, 2021, Diallo was driving Hamraoui home from a team meal when the car was stopped by two masked men wielding an iron bar. One man pinned Diallo in the driver’s seat, while the other dragged Hamraoui from the car and beat her legs and arms with the metal bar.
Hamraoui was taken to the hospital for treatment, where she needed stitches on her arms and legs. That kept her out of action for a while, but she returned to playing earlier this year.
While Hamraoui has recovered physically from the attack, it continues to affect her mental health. – AFP
