After the “Pogmentary”, the documentary that Amazon Prime dedicated to him, his transfer to Juventus Turin and the knee injury which cast doubt on his participation in the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year, this is the fourth time Paul Pogba has made headlines this summer. The tricolor international footballer, world champion in 2018, denounces an attempt at extortion in which, according to him, his older brother Mathias participates. Franceinfo retraces in four acts the affair which is now tearing the Pogba family apart.
1Mathias Pogba, Paul’s brother, posts enigmatic video on social media
In four languages, Mathias Pogba, Paul’s older brother, also a footballer but who has not had the same career (he has been without a club since leaving the modest Belfort team in the summer of 2021) announces revelations “explosive” on his brother, Saturday August 27. In a TikTok video, he assures that “the whole world deserves to know certain things in order to make an informed decision whether [son frère] really deserves admiration, respect, his place in the France team, if he is a trustworthy person”. He also promises, in this enigmatic message, to deliver information implicating Kylian Mbappé, the star player of PSG and the France team. But also revelations about Paul Pogba’s lawyer, Rafaela Pimenta.
2Player’s lawyers denounce attempted extortion
The clan of the 2018 world champion fights back, via a press release signed by his lawyers and his agent, the day after the publication of the video. They assure that “Mathias Pogba’s recent statements on social networks are unfortunately not a surprise. They come on top of threats and organized extortion attempts against Paul Pogba”. According to them, “the competent authorities in Italy and France were seized a year ago”.
3Franceinfo reveals the content of Paul Pogba’s hearing before the police
According to our information, taken from the report of the player’s hearing before the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime, the actual case began at the end of March 2022, on the sidelines of a gathering of the France team. . Paul Pogba, nicknamed “La Pioche”, says that childhood friends took advantage of his visit to Lagny-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne), the city where he is from, to drag him into a Parisian apartment. On this occasion, these friends reproach the player for not having helped them financially when they needed it. According to statements from the midfielder of Juventus Turin, two men “hooded” and “armed with assault rifles” tell himament 13 million euros to have it “protected” during the thirteen years of his professional career.
According to Paul Pogba, the threats have been repeated several times. In Manchester, where the player played until June, then in Turin, his new club. It was in Italy that he claims to have recognized his brother Mathias among the blackmailers. If the international midfielder has long appeared close to his older brother, their relations have become strained since Euro 2021, according to The Team. On the advice of his agent, Paul Pogba explains to the investigators that he approached the lawyers of the transalpine club. The case was discreetly handed over to the French police, who began their investigations in early August.
4Mathias Pogba suggests that his brother asked a marabout to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappé
Mathias Pogba, he continues his diatribe on social networks, accusing his younger brother of “to act dumb” in a new video, published on the evening of Sunday August 28. “When all is said, people will see that there is no more coward, more traitor and more hypocrite than you on this Earth.” The former Belfort player also suggests that his brother paid a marabout to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappé, partner of Paul Pogba in the France team.
“Kylian, now, do you understand? I have nothing negative against you, my words are for your good, everything is true and proven, the marabout is known!” he proclaims on Twitter, citing the franceinfo article in which Paul Pogba himself evokes this marabout. “The deck” has indeed told the police that he has already paid this marabout to protect himself from injury. And according to the international, the blackmailers threaten to reveal messages, which are attributed to him, where he asks this marabout to throw “a type” both on his opponents and on his teammates, including Kylian Mbappé. During the hearings, Paul Pogba denied having made such a request.
Kylian, now do you understand? I have nothing negative against you, my words are for your good, everything is true and proven, the marabou is known! Sorry to this brother, a so called muslim deep in witchcraft, it’s never good to have a hypocrite and a traitor near you!
— Mathias Pogba (@LeMathiasPogba) August 28, 2022
In this last message, Mathias Pogba also returned to the considerable media coverage of what has become, in 48 hours, “the Pogba affair” : “I hope you don’t get fooled by an attempt to manipulate the media and the authorities. When you’re famous, the world is with you, the authorities listen more carefully. But that doesn’t put you above the rest. justice, the police are not your minions!”