French Court Rules in Favor of Zakaria Aboukhlal

The Paris Court of Appeal ruled last Tuesday in favor of Moroccan striker Zakaria Aboukhlal in the defamation case he filed against the French channel « RMC, » convicting the station’s former general director, Arthur Dreyfuss.

According to « L’Equipe, » the court found that the article published by the radio station in May 2023 contained defamatory statements against Aboukhlal, linked to accusations made against him after his team won the French Cup.

The channel alleged that the player had told Laurence Arribagé, former deputy mayor of Toulouse in charge of sports: « In my country, women do not speak to men in this way, » claims that Aboukhlal denied from the beginning.

Although the first-instance court had initially acquitted the channel, the Court of Appeal ruled against Dreyfuss, ordering him to pay a symbolic compensation of one euro to the Moroccan player. This ruling is seen as a moral victory for Aboukhlal, whose reputation suffered due to the case.

This decision comes as the Moroccan striker is gradually returning to the field after a long injury absence, having already scored six goals in the French league this season.