Target of extortion attempts amounting to millions of euros, Paul Pogba, one of the key players in the world title won by the French football team in 2018, finds himself at the heart of an incredible affair which makes the subject of an investigation in France where the name of his older brother, Mathias, appears.
“ The Pogba affair” began on Saturday August 27 on social networks with a message from Mathias, 32, who then promised to “ big revelations on his younger brother, 29 years old.
In this video broadcast in four languages (French, Italian, English and Spanish), Mathias Pogba, himself a professional footballer, announces that “ the whole world “, like Juventus Turin, the Italian club where his brother returned this summer after a first spell between 2012 and 2016, and six seasons at Manchester United, “ deserve to know certain things in order to make an informed decision whether [Paul Pogba] really deserves admiration, respect, his place in the France team, if he is a trustworthy person “. ” It could all be explosive. “, he concludes, without further details. Sunday, Paul Pogba counter-attacks via a statement signed by his lawyers and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, who has just taken over the company of Mino Raiola, the recently deceased star agent.
assault rifles
” Mathias Pogba’s recent statements on social media are unfortunately not a surprise. They add to threats and organized gang extortion attempts against Paul Pogba “, indicates the press release.
” The competent authorities in Italy and France were seized a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation. “, continue the representatives of Paul Pogba in this press release.
A source familiar with the matter tells Agence France-Presse that an investigation was opened in France in early August and entrusted to the services of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).
According to France Info radio, Paul Pogba confided, during the hearings to the investigators of the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime, that he had ” in particular was trapped by childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles “.
They claim thirteen million euros from him for ” service rendered and accuse him of not having helped them financially since he became a professional player.
Mbappé and marabout
Also according to France Info, Paul Pogba, currently sidelined due to a right knee injury, assures investigators that he has been intimidated several times in Manchester and as far as the Juventus training center. Among the suspects, he claims to have recognized his brother Mathias. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the information from France Info to AFP.
In this case, the name of French football star Kylian Mbappé also appears, reluctantly: Paul Pogba explained to investigators that “ his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by broadcasting messages in which he allegedly asked a marabout from his family circle to cast a spell to the PSG striker, which the player denies.
For his part, Mathias Pogba maintains his accusations, still without formulating them: “ I hope you won’t be fooled by an attempt to manipulate the media and the authorities. When you are famous the world is with you, the authorities listen more attentively. But that doesn’t put you above the law, the police aren’t your minions! “, he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Sunday evening, he reacted to the first revelations about his brother’s hearing by the police by adding a few messages on Twitter. ” Paul, you really wanted to shut me up and lie and send me to jail “Mathias wrote.
” You left me in the hole while fleeing and you want to play the innocent, he added, when everything is said people will see that there is no more coward, more traitor and more hypocrite than you on this earth. »
(With AFP)