The brother of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been jailed and ‘placed under official investigation’ for claiming he was part of a gang that tried to extort millions from the footballer.
Mathias Pogba is being investigated on suspicion of “gang extortion and participation in a criminal association”, a judicial source told Reuters.
Four other people who appeared with Mathias Pogba before a judge on Saturday have also been indicted. Three were ordered to be detained.
Mathias denied the allegations against him in statements posted on social media.
Last month French prosecutors began investigating claims that Paul Pogba, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, was the target of extortion by an organized groupwhich included his brother and his childhood friends.
They reportedly demanded €13m (£11m) from the midfielder, who joined Juventus in the summer transfer window, and repeatedly bullied him, saying he didn’t support them after becoming international footballer.
An official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Pogba admitted to investigators he had already paid €100,000 (£86,800) to the band.
It came after the Juventus star’s brother claimed he was planning to make ‘big reveals’ which would make fans and team-mates look at him in a different light.
Mathias Pogba’s social media video also promised to reveal ‘very important things’ about Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe – as well as ‘integrity’ questions regarding Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta.
