The trial of six men, including Paul Pogba’s brother Mathias and childhood friends, began in Paris on charges of blackmail and attempted extortion against the Juventus and France midfielder. The case has sent shockwaves through the French football community, particularly as it involves personal relationships between the accused and Pogba, who is currently facing challenges in his professional career after his contract with Juventus was canceled due to a doping suspension until March 2025. The defendants are alleged to have attempted to extort 13 million euros (approximately $13.5 million) from Pogba, with Mathias being the initial instigator after posting videos on social media that hinted at sensational claims about his brother.
Mathias Pogba’s public accusations included bizarre allegations that Paul cast an evil spell on fellow French football star Kylian Mbappe. Following these videos, Paul Pogba’s legal team responded by stating these actions compounded the threats and extortion attempts he had already reported to authorities in Italy and France in July 2022. In his statements to investigators, Paul described being misled by friends from their mutual childhood in a tough suburb of Paris, who allegedly kidnapped him for financial gain.
In March 2022, Paul Pogba detailed a harrowing incident where he claimed to have been held at gunpoint by two masked men armed with assault rifles, pressuring him to produce a large sum for their “services,” which they believed he owed them for not providing sufficient financial support. He disclosed having given them only 100,000 euros prior to this extortion attempt. The threats continued in various locations, including the France national team’s training facility and at Juventus’ training grounds, magnifying the player’s sense of being cornered.
Pogba also recounted an incident in which he paid a significant bill exceeding 57,000 euros for friends at a luxury Adidas store, which illustrated the manipulative situations he found himself in with these individuals. His legal representative chose not to comment ahead of the trial, consistent with the legal strategy often employed in such high-profile cases. Meanwhile, the accused individuals, claiming a lack of malicious intent, described their relationship with Pogba as amicable, suggesting that any financial support he offered was merely a matter of friendship rather than obligation.
A police analysis characterized these accused friends as part of an organized attempt to defraud Pogba, alleging that they had financial motives after being cut off by him. Interestingly, these defendants also claimed to have been victimized by the same unidentified hooded figures who threatened Pogba, potentially complicating the legal narratives surrounding the case. Five of the six men face serious charges related to their alleged roles in the extortion and kidnapping, while Mathias is specifically charged with attempted extortion for allegedly attempting to coerce his brother and family into payments.
As the trial unfolds, it raises numerous questions surrounding the pressures faced by professional athletes and their relationships with their personal circles. The complexity of familial ties intertwined with financial disputes has created a scandal that not only jeopardizes Pogba’s image but also highlights the darker potentialities within the sports realm. With his professional career currently in jeopardy due to legal and doping issues, the implications of this trial for Paul Pogba and the accused may reverberate throughout the sports community, influencing how personal and financial relationships are managed in the high-stakes world of professional football.
