Paul Pogba reveals 'big impact' of extortion plot on his health
‘This case has had a big impact on my body’: Paul Pogba reveals the £11m extortion plot against him has ruined his physical and mental health after gang threatened him at gunpoint… with brother Mathias spending three months in jail
- Pogba testified before judges last month after being target of extortion plot
- An armed gang demanded £11million as payment for ‘protection services’
- His brother Mathias spent three months in prison before release in December
Paul Pogba has revealed how the alleged £11million extortion plot against him took a heavy toll on his physical and psychological health, affecting his football career.
The France and Juventus midfielder was threatened by a gang of masked, armed men in a Paris apartment who demanded millions for ‘protection services.’
The ongoing probe has seen several individuals investigated over allegations of armed extortion, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy against Pogba.
The former Manchester United player, 30, testified before judges once again last month, according to a report in L’Equipe, and gave further details of the incredible series of events.
Pogba’s brother Mathias spent three months in prison between September and December last year while police investigated his role in the extortion attempt, while four others were also placed under formal investigation.
Paul Pogba reportedly testified to judges about the physical and mental impact an extortion plot against him had after an armed gang demanded £11million for ‘protection services’
Pogba’s brother Mathias (left) spent three months in prison last year for his alleged role in the extortion plot against France and Juventus footballer Paul
Mathias Pogba has always insisted he is innocent, with his lawyer saying he is ‘a complete stranger’ to any extortion attempt.
He was released under judicial review and has been prohibited from contacting Paul, leaving France and using social networks.
It followed Paul telling police that the gang had been threatening him since March 2022 and were demanding €13m [£11m] for ‘protection’.
After being confronted by men armed with M16 assault rifles while on international duty with France, Pogba reportedly paid the group €100,000 to ‘save time’ – but they continued to make demands for more money.
Reports said acts of intimidation against the footballer were carried out in Manchester in April last year, and later in the city of Turin after he moved to Juventus.
L’Equipe reported that Pogba told judges about the impact the affair had on his playing career.
‘I kept all of this to myself for a long time and then I revealed it. This case has had a big impact on my body, especially on my injuries,’ he said.
‘I’ve spoken about it with the French national team manager.’
Pogba also confessed he feared his friends and family would be hurt by the gang.
Mathias Pogba released various videos about Paul across his social media platforms last year saying there would be ‘great revelations’ about his brother
The midfielder has missed most of the season because of a knee injury, playing a mere 46 minutes of football since he returned to Juventus from United last summer.
Further revelations from Pogba’s testimony last month include a loan of €38,000 [£33,500] to an individual called Boubacar C in September 2021 to buy gold. The money was never repaid.
Recalling the night in March 2022 when he was reportedly held at gunpoint in his apartment, Pogba said an acquaintance called Roushdane claimed the group had protected him from another separate extortion attempt during Paris Fashion Week.
Roushdane said he was acting as the guarantor of the operation and would be the one to suffer unless Pogba paid the money.
Two days later, in a conversation en route to France’s Clairefontaine training centre, Roushdane explained to Pogba that he’d met the individuals in prison and they’d offered Pogba protection because they ‘respected’ him.
Pogba also explained to the judges that he agonised over the best solution to protect his friends after the demand for £11m.
Paul Pogba (left) responded to his brother Mathias’ bizarre videos on social media by revealing he was a target of an £11million extortion from a gang
He decided to take out the €100,000 and hand it to Boubacar to pass on to the gang. Although Pogba took a selfie with the wads of cash beforehand as proof, Boubacar claims he never received the money.
In August when Mathias released a video vowing he would soon make a series of ‘great revelations’ about his brother, including a claim of how Paul used a witch doctor to cast a spell on France team-mate Kylian Mbappe.
Sportsmail revealed that Pogba did indeed pay a sorcerer to help him with his injury-plagued career. However, he vehemently denies that this had anything to do with Mbappe and said he ‘never intended to harm anyone’.
Pogba instead told investigators working for France’s Central Office for the Fight against Organised Crime (OCLCO) that he was ‘looking to be protected against injury’ and ‘also to help poor kids in Africa’ he was in connection with through an aid organisation.
Pogba has only just started playing regular football for Juventus after a series of injuries and he says the extortion plot only made things worse
French newspaper Le Monde reported new claims in October by Mathias, who said he had sent a voicemail to Paul in the summer.
Mathias had claimed to have almost been killed amid an alleged extortion attempt on the France international and Juventus midfielder.
Mathias claimed his home in Roissy-en-Brie, in the eastern suburbs of Paris, was broken into on July 30 by two men in balaclavas.
‘I nearly croaked. Call me right away, hurry up, otherwise, I’ll take care of your image and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life,’ Mathias Pogba is alleged to have said in the voicemail sent the following day.
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