Kheira Hamraoui: Former PSG midfielder files harassment claim against French club

Former Paris St-Germain midfielder Kheira Hamraoui has filed a 3.5m euros (£3.08m) claim against the French club, alleging she was forced out after being attacked with an iron bar.

In November 2021 Hamraoui was dragged from a car by two masked men who beat her legs with an iron bar as she returned home from a team meal, with the driver being then team-mate Aminata Diallo.

Diallo, who was vying for the same spot in the PSG team with Hamraoui, was detained and charged with instigating the attack on her team-mate.

Hamraoui has now alleged she was the victim of “moral harassment” by some of the PSG players after the incident.

Her lawyer Pascal-Pierre Garbarini argued at an employment tribunal in Paris that PSG forwards Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani refused to pass the ball to Hamraoui during games.

Garbarini said Hamraoui was “ostracised” on the pitch, in the changing room, in the stands and on social media channels.

“What did PSG do? Nothing!” he said.

Hamraoui is seeking damages for moral harassment, failure to meet security obligations, failure to prevent moral harassment, moral prejudice and loss of opportunity from the French club.

However, PSG’s lawyer Benjamin Louzier said Hamraoui did not have a medical certificate attesting to suffering from harassment and had not contacted PSG or the club’s employees’ council about it.

The tribunal is expected to deliver its verdict on the case in mid-December.

A France international, 35-year-old Hamraoui currently plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and has previously represented Barcelona, Lyon and Saint-Etienne among other clubs.

Monday’s hearing took place in a packed room before another employment dispute involving PSG and another former player – Kylian Mbappe.