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On Tuesday, French judges mandated a trial for six men in a kidnap and extortion situation concerning French footballer Paul Pogba, with the star’s brother Mathias being one of the individuals facing charges., sources close to the case have revealed.
The former Manchester United midfielder was allegedly extorted and kidnapped in a high-profile case that came to light in 2022 after a two-year investigation, leading to the trial.
Allegedly, five individuals with close ties to the World Cup champion are believed to have carefully planned a gathering in the Parisian outskirts on March 19, 2022. During the meeting, Pogba was reportedly abducted and detained by two unidentified men who demanded a payment of 13 million euros ($14 million), as per statements from Paris prosecutors.
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Pogba’s brother Mathias — a former striker himself — was not present for that meeting, but is suspected of having put pressure on his younger brother afterwards “with the same determination to get (Paul Pogba) to hand over the money”, according to prosecutors.
All have denied their guilt in the affair, claiming they were “victims” of armed robbers and that they were assaulted after Paul Pogba refused to pay.
The three childhood friends and two former acquaintances from the eastern Paris town where Pogba grew up were requested by prosecutors to stand trial for extortion, illegal restraint, and criminal conspiracy, for their involvement on the night.
Pogba, a player for Juventus and the French national team, is currently under a four-year ban for doping. He has lodged a complaint with Italian prosecutors, alleging that he has been the victim of a multimillion-euro extortion scheme.
The 31-year-old told investigators that his blackmailers threatened to discredit him by claiming he asked a “marabout”, or witch doctor, to cast a spell on fellow France star Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies.
In September 2022, an investigation was initiated by French prosecutors and was jointly conducted by the anti-gang and central crime units of the French police.
During the investigation, Paul Pogba stated that he had “voluntarily” helped members of the group, but then refused to hand seven million euros over to three of them in September 2021. He subsequently kept his distance from the group, he said.
In late September 2022, his brother Mathias — who was born in Guinea — posted a series of videos on social media incriminating Pogba and accusing him of having “abandoned” his family.
The videos came a month after Mathias Pogba had put another video online in French, Italian, English and Spanish promising “great revelations” about his brother.
Throughout the investigation, Mathias expressed fear for his own and his family’s safety, stating that he had been influenced by the other suspects and expressing hope for reconciliation with his younger brother in the near future.
