Achraf Hakimi earns praise from Andrew Tate amid divorce and rape scandal

Paris Saint-Germain player Achraf Hakimi is receiving support from an unexpected and maybe unwanted place amid his divorce and legal troubles. Controversial kickboxer turned social media star Andrew Tate has praised the Moroccan footballer after it was revealed last week that he has dodged the possibility of having his ex-wife take half of his fortune in their divorce.

It may be remembered that Spanish actress Hiba Abouk has confirmed her separation from Hakimi and a few months after he was charged with rape in France, she has reportedly filed for divorce. However, news broke last week that she was shocked to learn that she won't be entitled to half of her husband's fortune because most of it is not under his name. Apparently, his salary goes straight to his mother's bank account and about 80 per cent of his assets are controlled by her.

When the shocking news emerged, numerous media outlets covered the story. One such article caught the eye of Tate, and he took to social media to commend Hakimi for what some say is a brilliant tactic to keep his fortune intact.

He commented a News 24/7 article and said: "My G." To put some context, Tate likes to refer to himself as "Top G," and his fans and followers have taken to calling him by the nickname. Needless to say, the comment made it clear that he sees Hakimi as one of his squad.

However, gaining support from Tate may not be the best thing for the 24-year-old footballer at the moment. Hakimi is maintaining his innocence against the sexual assault charges against him, and Tate is currently under house arrest in Romania while facing a slew of similar charges.

Hakimi's accuser is a woman, also 24, whom he met on social media in January. According to the woman, they agreed to meet on February 25, and she has accused him of forcing himself on her after she had gone to his home in Paris while Abouk and the couple's two children were out of the country. She claims to have kicked him away in order to escape before finally calling a friend to pick her up.

Hakimi said that the woman tricked him into the situation in order to extort money from him. The investigation into the case is ongoing, and it remains to be seen if it will go to trial. In the meantime, Hakimi is being supported by PSG and has been allowed to continue to play and has not been suspended.

Meanwhile, Tate is facing sexual abuse complaints from at least three women in the UK. They claim to have been assaulted by the former kickboxer between 2014 and 2015, and they are now crowdfunding in order to raise the resources for their lawsuit against him.

Apart from the cases in the UK, he and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania over human trafficking and sexual abuse accusations. He has not yet been formally charged but has already been kept behind bars for three months. He has also insisted on his innocence, and has now been released from prison after winning an appeal, but is being kept under house arrest.

In his first speech after being released from custody, Tate said, "I'm a little bit emotional. I've been in one room since last year so it's a little bit emotional. I wanna give respect to the judges who heard us today because they were very attentive and they listened to us."

He added that he believed that truth will prevail and that the court will find him innocent. Many of his supporters chanted his name in support as he spoke to the press, making it clear that many of his fans are still behind him despite the allegations. It remains to be seen if Hakimi will continue to enjoy the same support from his own fans.