An investigation is underway after Paul Pogba, one of the potential stars of this year's World Cup, was allegedly blackmailed by his older brother for $21 million. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
Paul Pogba, the French mercurial midfielder who for six years at Manchester United was as capable of magic on the field as he was to disappear from matches completely, has been entangled in a web of a strange, and potentially dangerous, extortion plot.
Pogba has been allegedly victim to blackmail for months – involving an organised gang with assault rifles, accusations of "witchcraft", and an explosive TikTok video from his own brother Mathias Pogba.
The 29-year-old World Cup winner, who returned to Juventus this year after a period of professional highs and lows in Manchester, has been in the midst of an investigation into an entourage of blackmailers attempting to extort him for a reported $21 million.
Here's an attempt to summarise the wild Pogba saga.
Mathias Pogba, 32, is the eldest of the Pogba footballing brothers.
Born to Guinean parents who immigrated to France in the 1960s, Mathias and twin Florentin are three years older than Paul, the football success story who would go on to have the most acclaimed footballing career of the three.
Mathias was also a professional footballer, albeit at a significantly lower level to his younger bro, and has been without a club since leaving Belfort in the French fourth division.
It was an acrimonious exit, the team and the player parting ways after Mathias reportedly refused to play for the reserve side.
Last Sunday, he posted a range of grim videos across his social media channels, in four different languages presumably to gain as much reach as possible, promising "great revelations" about his younger brother Paul.
"My brother's teammates and his sponsors deserve to know certain things, in order to decide, in full knowledge of the facts, if he really deserves the admiration, respect and love of the public," he said in the English version of the video.
"All of this is likely to be explosive and make a lot of noise."
He also claimed to have information involving Paris Saint-Germain and France forward Kylian Mbappé, as well as Pogba's agent.
The Juventus midfielder responded to his brother's shocking claims through a press release signed by his lawyers and agent the following day, saying: "Mathias Pogba's recent statements on social media are unfortunately no surprise. They are in addition to threats and group-organised extortion attempts against Paul Pogba.
"The competent bodies in Italy and France were informed a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation."
According to French publication Franceinfo, Paul Pogba told police investigators that he was intimidated by a group of men at the end of March, when he was in France with the national team.
Pogba was visiting family in Lagny-sur-Marne – where he was born – in the outskirts of Paris, where he was dragged to an apartment by childhood friends and accused of not helping them financially since becoming a global football star.
Two hooded men armed with assault rifles attempted to extort €13 million (NZ$21.4m) from Pogba for "services rendered", the equivalent of €1 million for each year Pogba has played as a professional.
Pogba reportedly tried to withdraw €3 million after initially refusing to pay, but was only able to access €100,000 – as is typical practice for financial establishments. He also reportedly then agreed to sign a piece of paper saying he would pay the full amount.
He told investigators that he continued to be threatened by the group in April in Manchester as well as after his move to Juventus in July at the club's training ground in Turin, where they continued to attempt to blackmail him for money.
It was in Italy where Pogba claimed to have recognised his brother Mathias as one the blackmailers, which is when he decided to inform his club Juventus' lawyers, who then contacted the police. Investigations began earlier this month.
Pogba told police that he had been close to the group of men and helped them financially in the past. But he became wary when he hosted a friend last January in his Manchester home and learned that the friend attempted to steal €200,000 using his credit card.
In another social media diatribe, Mathias Pogba launched another attack on his younger brother after being accused of blackmail.
"My little brother is finally starting to show his true face," he wrote. "Since it was he who started talking, to lie to the police and who brought out the information, you can't blame me.
"Paul, you really wanted to shut me up completely, to lie and send me to prison, I suspected it. Now it's true, my version of the facts actually happened and, unlike you, I have enough to prove my words and your lies.
"I'll tell you again: brother, manipulating people is not good! It's not about money: you implicated me in spite of myself, I almost died because of you, you left me in a hole and you want to play the innocent one. When everything is said, people will see that there is no bigger coward, bigger traitor and bigger hypocrite than you on this earth."
Mathias' version of the story keeps getting weirder as Paul is also alleged to have used a witch doctor to cast spells on opponents and teammates.
Paul has strongly denied those claims. He reportedly told police that he used a spiritual guide to help him with his injury.
"I confirmed his witchcraft because what matters here is not whether it works or not, or whether you believe in it or not, it's more that it implies some wickedness," Mathias Pogba said on Twitter. "These practices require you to do bad things for their rituals, including deliberate harm."
It is alleged that Paul Pogba was extorted by the blackmailers in return for witchcraft videos being kept from the public. Both Pogba and his lawyer have denied the existence of the videos.
Mathias also claimed Paul asked a witch doctor to cast an injury spell on Mbappé, Pogba's French teammate. Again, this is denied by Pogba.
"Kylian, I have nothing negative against you, my words are for your own good," Mathias Pogba said on Twitter. "Everything is true and proven, the marabout is known!
"A so-called Muslim deep in witchcraft, it's never good to have a hypocrite and traitor near you!"
There has never been a slight indication of any personal or professional issues between Paul Pogba and Mbappé.
Pogba, a star of France's 2018 World Cup winning team, is an integral member of manager Didier Deschamps' side heading into the upcoming tournament in Qatar starting in November.
Pogba is sidelined with a knee injury and faces a race against time to make the World Cup squad, after he and his club decided to opt against surgery for a torn meniscus and treat it with therapy instead – in hopes that he would be fit for the World Cup.
His case with police is being monitored closely by Deschamps and French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet.
"This case is in the hands of the police. An investigation is underway. At this point, I won't make any further comments other than to show my support for Paul Pogba," Le Graet said.
"Paul is a man I hold in high esteem, he's highly appreciated by the entire Federation.
"He has always been exemplary for the France team for almost ten years after having shone in all of the youth teams. I hope to see him again very soon, on the pitch and in great shape."
The extortion case and what appears to be nothing more than a stunning betrayal by his own brother will undoubtedly impact Pogba's mental and physical state, and could spill over into his game when he's eventually fit.
Cases like Pogba's – extortion, new money, and the obligation and exploitation that comes with fame and success – have floated around in football before, albeit not as viscerally in your face and publicised like this through social media ubiquity.
But it is also another example of what many players, especially those from under-privileged backgrounds, go through behind the scenes, which can also impact their performance on the field.
On his day, Paul Pogba is one of the finest footballers of his generation, a distinction that can sometimes come at a worrying price.
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