Paul Pogba claims his brother Mathias is involved in a “group-organized extortion attempt” against him.
On Sunday, the Juventus midfielder issued a statement through his lawyer after Mathias threatened to publish “great revelations” about Paul Pogba on his social media platform. According to AFP, French police have launched an investigation into the allegations, which France TV claims involve a €13 million (£11 million) blackmail attempt.
An investigation on Paul Pogba for “attempted extortion in an organized gang” has been open in France since the beginning of August, it was learned this Sunday from sources close to the case. Following the “revelations” promised by Mathias Pogba on social media on Saturday, it has been revealed that the 2018 world champion has been the target of threats and extortion attempts from his older brother and childhood friends.Franceinfo reveals what he told cops.
During various hearings, Paul Pogba was able to tell Central Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime investigators that he had been ambushed by childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles. According to him, the gang demanded 13 million euros and has threatened him several times since, including at Juventus’ training center in Turin, where he claims to police that he recognized his brother Mathias Pogba among the suspects.
Among the player blackmailers is Mathias Pogba.
When France hosted Ivory Coast and South Africa in a friendly match on March 25 and 29, Paul Pogba took the opportunity to visit his family in Lagny-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne). Friends then took him to a Paris apartment and blamed him for not helping them financially since becoming a professional player. Two armed men among them have thus asked him for 13 million euros for “service rendered,” assuring him that they had protected him discreetly for 13 years.
The 2018 world champion told investigators that he had seen his blackmailers several times, including in April in Manchester and again in July at the Juventus training center in Turin, where he had just begun working. In Turin, he recognized among the people he accuses of intimidating him his brother Mathias, with whom he has a strained relationship. Following this incident, Paul Pogba approached his club’s lawyers, who decided to notify the police.
“Not a surprise,” according to Mathias Pogba, for the Pogba clan.
During his hearings, the Juve player told investigators from the Judicial Police’s Central Directorate that he had always been close to his childhood friends and had never hesitated to help them financially when they were in need, until last January, when he barred a friend he was hosting in Manchester from entering his home. He had just discovered that the latter had stolen 200,000 euros using his credit card.
This Sunday, Paul Pogba’s lawyers stated in a statement obtained by Radio France’s sports management that “the recent statements of Mathias Pogba on social networks are unfortunately not a surprise.” On Saturday, Paul Pogba’s big brother effectively promised “explosive revelations” about the Juventus player, his agent Rafaela Pimenta, and his French teammate Kylian Mbappé.
Despite himself, the name of the Paris Saint-Germain striker appears in this case. Paul Pogba told investigators that his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by broadcasting messages in which he would have asked a marabout from his family entourage to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappé, which the player denies.
