French police detained a former teammate of Paris Saint Germain and national team player Kheira Hamraoui for the second time on Friday in the investigation into an assault against the football star that shocked the women’s game in France, according to prosecutors.
Aminata Diallo’s re-arrest follows the detention of four men this week in the investigation into the attack on Hamraoui outside of Paris in November 2021.
Near the French capital, Hamraoui was taken from a vehicle and assaulted on the legs with an iron rod.
Diallo, Hamraoui’s teammate and midfield opponent, was detained by police immediately following the altercation in midfield last November, but he has consistently denied involvement and has never been charged.
The attorney for Diallo, whose contract with PSG has expired, declined to comment to AFP.
Prosecutors in Versailles, a suburb of Paris, told AFP that police have eight hours to question Diallo while he is in custody before a decision is made on whether to bring charges.
Suspects may be detained for up to 48 hours in France before being sent to a magistrate for prosecution. November’s nearly two-day arrest of Diallo contributes to this number.
Prosecutors stated that three of the four males arrested earlier this week will appear before a magistrate on Friday with the intent of being charged.
Hamraoui was assaulted on November 4 as she was being driven home from a club dinner by Diallo.
The two players, both of whom had been capped by France, were competing for the same slot on the PSG roster, and police appeared to initially focus on the possibility that a competitive rivalry was responsible for the assault.