A brother of World Cup winner Paul Pogba will stand trial with five other men as part of an extortion case that targeted the soccer player two years ago, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.
A judge ordered the six men to appear before a court following an investigation into whether Pogba was the target of extortion by his brother, Mathias Pogba, and childhood friends, the office said.
The prosecutor’s office said Mathias Pogba, 34, was ordered to stand trial “for the offenses of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy.” The court date has not been announced.
The five others — identified by their first names only — allegedly demanded 13 million euros ($14.3 million) from the France midfielder, and repeatedly intimidated him, claiming he didn’t support them after he became an international soccer star. They are accused of extortion and attempted extortion by using violence, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime or misdemeanor, as well as criminal conspiracy.
During the investigation, Pogba said he paid 100,000 euros to the organized group including his brother. According to French media reports, the 31-year-old player also told investigators the alleged extortionists wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on teammate Kylian Mbappé. Pogba denied the allegation.
A lawyer for Mathias Pogba did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The case became public after Mathias Pogba posted threats on social media to share “explosive” revelations about his brother, Paul’s agent Rafaela Pimenta, and Mbappé. Mathias Pogba was also a soccer player who spent most of his career with lower-tier teams in Europe.
Once one of the world’s top midfielders, Pogba has made the headlines more often for his off-field problems than for his soccer brilliance in recent years.
Earlier this year, he was banned for the maximum four years by Italy’s anti-doping court after testing positive for testosterone while at Juventus. He has appealed to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Pogba was known for his versatility, physicality and eye for the goal. When he returned to Manchester United in 2016, the club paid Juventus a then world-record transfer fee of 105 million euros.
Pogba rejoined Juventus in 2022 but then struggled with injuries. He was ruled out of France’s run to the 2022 World Cup final because of a knee injury. Pogba helped France win the previous World Cup, scoring in the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press