PSG's Diallo says she's not involved

PARIS • Paris Saint-Germain women's footballer Aminata Diallo yesterday denied any involvement in a street attack on her teammate Kheira Hamraoui, in her first public statement about the incident that saw her detained by police this week.

The 26-year-old "hopes that judicial authorities conclude their investigation quickly and is sure that this will end up showing her complete and total innocence", a statement issued by her lawyer said.

It also denounced a "totally artificial suggestion of a rivalry between her and Mme Kheira Hamraoui that would explain why she would target her teammate. This theory does not reflect at all the reality of their relationship".

She also criticised the "media speculation which has already condemned her, without justification, and she will not hesitate to launch legal action if necessary against any defamation".

Diallo's detention overnight at a police station outside Paris after her arrest on Wednesday was also unnecessary, the statement said, "given that she could have made a statement without being subjected to constraint".

Earlier yesterday, French police sought new leads to identify Hamraoui's attackers after releasing Diallo from custody on Thursday.

Diallo, who was arrested on Wednesday, was driving Hamraoui home from a team dinner last week when the midfielder was pulled from a car by masked men and beaten with a metal bar.

Although seen as friends who socialised and even holidayed together, police had focused on a possible sporting rivalry that had led to the violence, which Diallo denied while in detention.

A man already in jail for a separate assault case in the south-eastern city of Lyon - a friend of Diallo's - had also been arrested as part of the investigation, but he was also released on Thursday evening.

"The club remains by the side of its players to enable them to come through this challenging time and help them find peace of mind," PSG said in a statement late on Thursday.

Diallo has not been charged with a crime, and police have also made no public comments linking her to the attack. But the investigation will continue, and she could be charged at a later date if evidence implicates her in a crime.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES