Paul Pogba’s Brother Sentenced To Jail Along Five Others

On Thursday, a Paris court found the brother of French international footballer Paul Pogba and five accomplices guilty of attempting to extort the World Cup winner, according to reports from French media.

Mathias Pogba received a three-year sentence, with two of them suspended, after being found guilty of organized extortion and attempted extortion, the daily L’Equipe said.

He will not serve time behind bars but must wear an electronic bracelet for a year, it said.

The other five defendants, some of whom were childhood friends, received sentences ranging from three to eight years.

Paul Pogba, who played for English club Manchester United and Italy’s Juventus, said he had been the target of extortion in March 2022 and that he had handed over 100,000 euros ($104,000) to those who had threatened him.

Mbeko Tabula, a lawyer for Mathias Pogba, was quoted by RMC Sport as saying his client was in shock and would appeal.

“From the start, he has maintained his innocence,” he said. “He says he was manipulated, coerced, and pressured, that he would never have acted negatively towards his brother.”

Mathias Pogba played football for Guinea and lower-division clubs in Europe.

Reuters has contacted Paul Pogba’s representatives for comment.

Paul Pogba, who helped France win the World Cup in 2018, is suspended from playing until March after testing positive for the prohibited substance DHEA, which enhances testosterone levels.

Now 31, he aims to revive his career after Juventus announced last month that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract.

He last represented France in 2022, and a knee surgery kept him from participating in the World Cup in Qatar.