Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias, has been sentenced to three years in prison in France after being found guilty of attempted extortion against the former Manchester United midfielder.
Mathias Pogba, 34, was one of six defendants who stood on trial after being accused of trying to extort €13 million (£10.7m) out of his younger brother.
In 2022, Paul Pogba said he was the object of extortion attempts and threats from an organised gang, with his brother Mathias placed under formal investigation. He claimed he was kidnapped and held at gunpoint by two hooded men who demanded that he paid €13m for ‘protection
Paul Pogba, 31, told the Paris prosecution office that he had been the target of extortion by childhood friends in March 2022 and had paid 100,000 euros ($104,000) to that group and was then repeatedly intimidated to hand over more money at France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at his home in Manchester and at Juventus’ training ground in Italy.
Mathias Pogba maintained he was not part of the kidnap plot but on Thursday he was found guilty of ‘committed pressure against his brother Paul and his family in order to ensure payment of the sum of €13m’.
The court also fined Paul Pogba’s brother 20,000 euros for participating in the attempted extortion of 13 million euros ($13.5 million) from Pogba in 2022, and for putting pressure on the player, his family and his business contacts to obtain the payment.
The 34-year-old, who played for Wrexham, Crewe, Crawley Town andGuinea’s national team, has been sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, and has been given a fine of €20,000 (£16,500).
The five other defendants, childhood friends or acquaintances of Paul Pogba, were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention as well as participation in a criminal conspiracy and sentenced to prison terms of up to eight years and fines ranging from €20,000 to €40,000 (£16,500 to £33,000).
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The others include Roushdane K (eight years) Boubacar C (four years, two suspended), Machikour K (four years, three suspended), Mamadou M (five years, 12 months suspended) and Adama C (five years).
Maitre Mbeko Tabula, the lawyer representing Mathias Pogba, said at the end of the hearing: ‘It is an extremely harsh decision that does not correspond to our expectations.
‘I will speak with Mathias but I think we will appeal. The decision does not correspond at all to the reality of this case and to Mathias’ intentions towards Paul.
‘He is obviously in shock. From the beginning he has proclaimed his innocence. He says he was manipulated, coerced, that he was put under pressure. That he would never have acted in a negative way towards his brother. We did not take into consideration his vulnerability, the fact that he was forced to do things regardless of his will. We are denying him this reality, which is why we are condemning him.
‘[There is] No jealousy, no resentment. Disagreements between brothers like that happen everywhere.’
