PARIS — Paul Pogba’s brother, Mathias Pogba, has been sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended, by a Paris criminal court as part of a case involving extortion and kidnapping.
Mathias Pogba has already served time in detention, and the remainder of his prison sentence will be completed under house arrest with electronic monitoring. This verdict aligns with the prosecution’s recommendations. His attorney indicated that Mathias is expected to file an appeal against the court’s decision.
“He is in shock. From the beginning, he has asserted his innocence,” stated lawyer Mbeko Tabula. “The court did not consider that he was manipulated or forced to engage in activities beyond his control.”
The court proceedings occurred in the absence of Paul Pogba, who has previously played for renowned clubs such as Manchester United and Juventus.
A judge had previously mandated that Mathias and five other individuals face trial following an investigation that looked into whether Paul Pogba was a victim of an extortion scheme orchestrated by Mathias and childhood acquaintances in 2022.
Last month, Mathias Pogba stood trial on charges related to attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy. The five accused men had allegedly demanded 13 million euros (approximately $13.6 million) from the French midfielder, who was reportedly confronted at gunpoint by masked assailants in March 2022. The group continually threatened Paul, insisting he should provide support after achieving fame as an international soccer player. They faced various charges, including extortion, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.
Roushdane K., believed to be the ringleader of the extortion plot, received an eight-year prison sentence, with the other defendants also being given jail time.
Legal documents revealed that the court determined Paul experienced economic damages totaling 197,000 euros (around $204,000) and moral damages of 50,000 euros (roughly $52,000). The court ordered all the defendants, except for Mathias, to financially compensate Paul for these amounts.
During the investigation, Paul disclosed that he had paid 100,000 euros (about $104,000) to the group, including his brother.
The situation garnered attention when Mathias made threats on social media, claiming he would reveal “explosive” information about his brother, fellow soccer star Kylian Mbappé, and Paul’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta. Mathias, who is also a former professional soccer player, spent a significant portion of his career with lower-league teams across Europe.
Currently, Paul Pogba is not associated with any club.
Once recognized as a top midfielder in the world, Paul has recently made headlines for his off-field issues rather than his athletic performance.
This month, Juventus announced a “mutual agreement” to terminate Paul’s contract, despite the World Cup winner having his doping ban reduced last month. The Serie A club appeared less than enthusiastic about reintegrating Paul, especially after his four-year ban was appealed and subsequently lowered to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Paul will be eligible to return to his playing career in March.
He tested positive for testosterone in August of the previous year and received the maximum penalty from Italy’s anti-doping tribunal. However, judges at CAS acknowledged a lack of intent in his case, stating that his positive result was due to taking a supplement mistakenly prescribed by a physician in Florida. His contract with Juventus was initially scheduled to run until June 2026.
In 2016, Paul Pogba made headlines as the most expensive soccer player in history when he transferred from Juventus to Manchester United for 105 million euros (about $116 million). He played a pivotal role in France’s World Cup victory in 2018 but later rejoined Juventus as a free agent in 2022. Unfortunately, injuries limited his participation to just eight appearances in Serie A during his second tenure at the club before his doping ban last year.