August 31 – Twenty-four hours after French police revealed they had opened an investigation into claims by international midfield star Paul Pogba that he is being threatened and targeted for extortion, it has emerged he paid €100,000 to an organised group including his brother.
The Juventus and former Manchester United star is a few months away from the World Cup, which he won in 2018, but is now the subject of a highly publicised inquiry.
French police say the group allegedly demanded €13 million from the midfielder, who rejoined Juventus in the summer transfer window, and repeatedly intimidated him, claiming he did not support them after he became an international footballer.
An official close to the investigation told the Associated Press on Tuesday that Pogba, currently sidelined by injury, told investigators he had already paid €100,000 to the group.
According to reports in France, the midfielder made the payment in April after he was threatened by masked, armed men in a Paris flat in March while he was in France for international games.
The group also made demands at the Juventus training centre in Turin and according to reports by France’s public broadcaster, Pogba said his brother was among the group.
The case became public after Mathias Pogba posted a video and tweets last weekend threatening to share “explosive revelations” about his brother and another France star, Kylian Mbappe.
In one video, Mathias, also a professional footballer who played for Wrexham, Crewe, Crawley Town and Partick Thistle, said he “almost died because of” Paul Pogba.
The president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, downplayed the scandal.
“These are just rumours at this point,” Le Graet said in an interview with Radio Monte Carlo.
“I love Paul. I hope this does not call into question his (World Cup) spot on the French side.”
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