French women’s soccer player arrested over attack on her own teammate

French police arrested Paris Saint-Germain women’s team midfielder Aminata Diallo amid an investigation into an attack on her own teammate, The New York Times reported.

“Paris Saint-Germain can confirm that Aminata Diallo was taken into custody this morning by the Versailles Regional Police Service as part of the proceedings opened following an attack on the Club’s players last Thursday evening,” the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

Déclaration du club

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Reports on the arrest have noted that Diallo, 26, played the same position as the player who was attacked, Kheira ​Hamraoui, 31, a starter who recently joined the team.

French sports newspaper L’Equipe first reported that after a team-organized dinner on Nov. 4, Diallo gave Hamraoui a ride home since both women lived in the same Paris suburb.

As the car approached Hamraoui’s house around 10:30 p.m., two masked men appeared and pulled Hamraoui out of the passenger seat of the vehicle, using an iron bar to hit her legs repeatedly, according to the Times. 

The incident lasted for a couple of minutes before the two male suspects ran off, leaving Hamraoui with injuries to her hands and legs. Diallo, who was restrained during the attack, was apparently unharmed.

Diallo replaced Hamraoui in a Champions League contest against Real Madrid, which was played after the attack, according to the Times. 

Hamraoui was signed by the club in the offseason after spending time at Barcelona F.C. Diallo returned to the team as an understudy to Hamraoui after being on loan with Atlético de Madrid.