Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba are set to stand trial on Tuesday, facing charges of blackmail, attempted extortion, and holding the player at gunpoint. The case, which has stunned the French football community, involves three of Pogba’s childhood friends and his own brother, Mathias.
The trial comes at a difficult time for Pogba, who is grappling with professional setbacks, including Juventus canceling his contract this month following a suspension until March 2025 for a doping violation.
The six accused men allegedly attempted to extort 13 million euros ($13.5 million) from Pogba. Mathias was the first to publicly address the situation in August 2022, posting a video on social media that promised to reveal explosive details about his brother, including an accusation that Paul had placed a curse on French teammate Kylian Mbappe.
Pogba’s legal team, including his agent Rafaela Pimenta, later described the videos as part of a broader campaign of threats and extortion. Pogba had already filed criminal complaints in both Italy and France in July 2022.
According to Pogba, he was tricked by childhood friends from the Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up. He claimed they kidnapped him and held him at gunpoint, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and accusing him of not helping them financially. Pogba stated that he had only given them 100,000 euros in response.
The footballer also alleged he was pressured at the France national team’s training base in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground. Additionally, Pogba said he paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that his friends racked up at an Adidas store on Paris’ Champs-Elysées.
The accused, however, deny the allegations, with one of the defense lawyers, Karim Morand-Lahouazi, stating that they shared a friendly relationship with Pogba and that he may have helped them financially in the past.
A police summary of the case describes the group of accused individuals as a “criminal team” with the aim of extracting 13 million euros from Pogba, who had cut them off financially in early 2022. The accused claim they too were victims of the hooded men who held Pogba at gunpoint, though these men have never been identified.
Five of the accused face charges of extortion, kidnapping, and forming a criminal gang. Mathias Pogba, who was not present during the kidnapping, is charged with attempted extortion for allegedly pressuring his brother and his family to ensure the payment of the 13 million euros.
Mathias Pogba’s lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, has declined to comment until after the trial concludes.