Paris Saint-Germain soccer player Kheira Hamraoui — in her first interview since being attacked by masked assailants outside her home — recalled the horrific events that left her bloodied, black and blue.
“My attacker hit me with an iron bar several times,” Hamraoui recalled of the Nov. 4 incident via L’Equipe, a French newspaper. “I saw that he was mainly targeting my legs and I was trying to protect myself with my hands. At that time, I didn’t see a weapon.”
Hamraoui speaking out comes as another reported suspect has emerged in the attack. is former France and Barcelona defender Eric Abidal, along with his wife Hayet, according to multiple reports.
On the night of the attack, Hamraoui and another teammate got a ride home from Aminata Diallo, a midfielder for PSG, following a team outing in Paris.
When they arrived at Hamraoui’s home, two masked men approached the vehicle.
“They immediately start yelling: ‘Open the door! Open the door!’ The one on my side grabbed me and pulled me out of the vehicle,” Hamraoui said. “Before, he grabbed a rectangular iron bar that he had hidden in his pants or under his sweater.”
Hamraoui, according to The Sun, was “punched, kicked and beaten with an iron bar.” The 31-year-old was taken to a hospital and required stitches for leg and hand injuries, ESPN reported.
Diallo, 26, was later arrested on suspicion that she orchestrated the attack, L’Equipe reported last week, and with the believe that the motive was about more playing time for PSG as Diallo and Hamraoui are both midfielders. She was released by police after being held for 36 hours, and no charges were filed.
“The scene lasted several minutes, it seemed long to me… I think the two individuals fled because cars were coming into the street. They started running in the direction of the traffic. We quickly lost sight of them. I think a car should be waiting for them nearby.”
Diallo, in a statement issued by her lawyer Mourad Battikh, denied the allegations and said she “will not hesitate to launch legal action if necessary against any defamation.”
Battikh said his client “hopes that judicial authorities conclude their investigation quickly and is sure that this will end up showing her complete and total innocence.”
The statement dismissed the “totally artificial suggestion of a rivalry” between Diallo and Hamraoui, and claimed that “other far more serious theories are now being explored by investigators that do not involve my client.”
The Abidals appear to be at the center of one of those theories.
Eric Abidal was Barcelona’s sporting director when Hamraoui signed with the team in 2018, and was fired in 2020 after the men’s team suffered an 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
On Monday, Prosecutor Maryvonne Caillibotte said the 42-year-old will be “quizzed soon” by authorities as part of the investigation, ESPN reported. Hayet may be questioned by the police, sources told the outlet.
Police reportedly discovered that Hamraoui had called Abidal on the morning of her attack while investigating her phone records.
L’Equipe said a number of PSG players that were questioned by police said Hamraoui also called Abidal the day after the attack. The phone, in which the alleged calls were made, is reportedly registered in Abidal’s name.
The new reports have increased rumors that Abidal and Hamraoui were engaged in a romantic relationship. The outlet Marca said it’s been confirmed that, at some point during the attack, one of the attackers mentioned something about sleeping with married men.
Hamraoui was advised by doctors not to return to soccer for three weeks after the attack. There is no timetable for her return.
It’s remains to be seen if Diallo will return to the team. Both players missed PSG’s 6-1 win against title rivals Lyon on Sunday.