PSG women’s star Kheira Hamraoui and her former teammate Aminata Diallo have been embroiled in a saga so crazy, you won’t believe it’s true.
Hamraoui signed for PSG from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 and reunited with Diallo, whom she’d gone on holiday with to Dubai the year prior.
However, things turned sour after Hamraoui was brutally attacked by two masked men and Diallo was accused of orchestrating the incident.
More than a year on and the scandal has seen numerous twists and turns.
A new Twitter thread from sports newsletter site The Upshot has unpacked the timeline of events and detailed all the key information from this whirlwind story.
Why was Kheira Hamraoui attacked?
Having signed from Champions League winners Barcelona, Hamraoui quickly became PSG’s first-choice central midfielder — taking Diallo’s spot in the process.
Police later found evidence that Diallo had a “deep jealousy” of Hamraoui and that she’d texted friends saying that she wished “pain” on her teammates.
Diallo is therefore believed to have organised the attack on Hamraoui, which occurred after a team meal.
At the dinner, a number of PSG players received calls from an unknown number, warning them of Hamraoui and urging them to stay away.
Diallo then offered Hamraoui and defender Sakina Karchaoui a lift home, only for Hamraoui to be dragged from the car by two masked men – leaving her requiring stitches in her hands and legs.
Was Aminata Diallo arrested?
With Hamraoui out injured, Diallo started PSG’s next game against Real Madrid and starred in a 4-0 victory.
The following day, Diallo was taken into police custody but was initially released without charge.
However, in September 2022, Diallo was re-arrested on charges of serious bodily harm and aggravated violence.
Four men were also arrested, all of whom accused Diallo of masterminding 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 prosecutor’s office said.
Hamraoui’s affair with Eric Abidal
During the police investigation, it transpired that the SIM card in Hamraoui’s phone was registered to France and Barcelona icon Eric Abidal, who is now the sporting director at the Catalonian club.
Abidal later admitted to having an affair with Hamraoui, having met her while she was playing for Barcelona Femeni.
Soon after, Abidal’s wife, who he married in 2003, filed for divorce.
Diallo’s ‘split personality disorder’
Having been arrested for the attack on Hamraoui, detectives reportedly claimed Diallo has split personality disorder.
Apparently, she is said to have used a lower voice in some calls and sought to pretend she was a man named Bilel, leading investigators to reach this conclusion.
Diallo was officially charged in the end but was ultimately released on bail.
Diallo signs for Levante
Following her release from PSG, reports claimed that Diallo would retire from professional football.
Yet remarkably, the midfielder has now signed for Spanish side Levante.
The club have confirmed that a short deal has been agreed until the end of the season, with the option of a further year.
