Brother of France international footballer Paul Pogba – Mathias Pogba – has been convicted by a Paris court, of attempting to extort the former Juventus and Man United midfielder, as reported by French media.
Mathias Pogba was on the receiving end of a three-year sentence, with two of them a suspended term, after being found guilty of attempted extortion and organised extortion, as said by L’Equipe.
He will not spend time behind bars, but must wear an electronic bracelet also for a year, while, the five other defendants – some being childhood friends – were given sentences varying from three to eight years.
In March 2022, Paul Pogba had been the target of extortion and said he had let go of over €100,000 to those who had threatened him.
The lawyer for Mathias Pogba, Mbeko Tabula, had said to RMC Sport that his client would appeal and was in shock with the verdict.
“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.”
34-year-old Mathias Pogba, played football for Guinea and lower division clubs in Europe.
Paul Pogba, who lifted the World Cup with France in 2018, is banned from playing until March after testing positive for the banned substance DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels.
Now 31 years of age, he hopes to revive his career after Juventus announced last month that he and the club had mutually agreed to terminate his contract. He last played for France in 2022 and knee surgery eliminated his hopes of playing at the Qatar World Cup.
