Mathias Pogba – the brother of former Manchester United star Paul Pogba – has been charged and detained by French investigators in relation to an alleged blackmail plot against the Juventus midfielder.
Paul Pogba, 29, has alleged his brother Mathias is part of a "group-organised extortion attempt" against him. Mathias has previously denied these allegations. Mathias Pogba's lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, has reiterated that his client is innocent, despite being "placed under formal investigation".
Bouzrou told French broadcaster BFMTV: "We are going to challenge this decision. My client has committed no criminal offence. We do not understand the decision to keep him in custody, especially as he has an alibi for the night of the alleged kidnap.”
Four other individuals, aged between 27 and 36, have also been placed under formal investigation by French police for extortion and criminal association in relation to the claims, as reported by Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Three of them were ordered to be detained.
The footballer, who departed Old Trafford this summer to end his six-year long second stint at the club, claimed that he was the victim of an £11million alleged plot against him by some of his childhood friends including his own brother.
The Juve midfielder claimed that the group requested the money for "protection services" stretching back 13 years.
In a bizarre and alarming video released on social media in late August, Mathias Pogba vowed to expose "explosive" "revelations" about his sibling. The former Wrexham, Crew and Crawley forward, 32, claimed to know secrets about Juve midfielder Pogba, his new agent and France teammate Kylian Mbappe. All three have denied the allegations from Mathias.
French police subsequently confirmed that they have opened a probe into Mathias and the alleged "group-organised" crime.
A report in French media outlet Le Monde earlier this week claimed that Mathias Pogba had decided to 'turn himself in' to the authorities investigating the case. The police subsequently placed him in custody.
Paul Pogba has claimed that he was confronted by the group at gun-point and brought to a flat in Roissy-en-Brie, where he alleged they demanded more than £11million for “protecting him”.
The gang were alleged to have demanded £2.6million in immediate cash, but Paul Pogba was reportedly only capable of withdrawing £85k in cash from his account. When the group attempted to extort money, Paul Pogba opened a criminal complaint through his lawyers.
Pogba is one of the biggest names in European football. The World Cup winner came through the ranks at Manchester United, leaving the Premier League side to join Juventus in the summer of 2012 and going on to win four Serie A titles - among other honours.
Pogba returned to United in August 2016 for a world-record transfer fee of £89million, lifting two major honours during a six-year spell at Old Trafford. He has won no trophy at club level since 2017, but played an influential role in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018.
He was released by United when his contract expired in June and re-signed for Juventus the following month. The midfielder is yet to play this term after suffering a knee injury in pre-season, with his hopes of playing in this winter’s World Cup hanging in the balance.
Mathias Pogba has represented Guinea at international level and is a free agent after being released by French minnows Belfort in April.
