Five world football stars have faced allegations of sexual crimes, but none has been convicted.
Moroccan Achraf Hakimi will have to stand trial in France over a rape accusation he denies. Ghanaian Thomas Partey faces seven charges for alleged rapes and sexual assault in the United Kingdom, and he pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was accused over an alleged incident that occurred in 2009, but the lawsuit was dismissed and no criminal charges were filed. Neymar also faced a rape allegation in 2019, although the investigation was closed for lack of evidence. Meanwhile, Japan’s Kaishu Sano was arrested in 2024 over an alleged group sexual assault, in a case that remained under investigation.
For one segment of the public, that says it all: without a sentence, there are no guilty parties, and judging them on social media amounts to a lynching. For the other side, the judicial outcomes reflect exactly how power operates when pockets are deep and legal teams are inexhaustible.
Do fame and money distort justice in these cases, or should the principle of innocence protect everyone equally?