The Pogba affair began on social media on Saturday with a message from Mathias, 32, who then promised “big revelations” about his younger brother, 29.
In this video broadcast in four languages (French, Italian, English and Spanish), Mathias Pogba, himself a professional footballer, announces that “the whole world”, like Juventus Turin, the Italian club where his brother returned this summer after a first spell between 2012 and 2016, and six seasons at Manchester United, “deserve to know certain things in order to decide in full knowledge of the facts whether he (Paul Pogba) really deserves the admiration, the respect, his place in the team of France, if he is a trustworthy person”.
“All of this risks being explosive,” he concludes, without further details.
On Sunday, Paul Pogba counterattacks via a statement signed by his lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta, who has just taken over the company of Mino Raiola, the recently deceased star agent.
“Mathias Pogba’s recent statements on social media unfortunately come as no surprise. They come on top of threats and organized gang extortion attempts against Paul Pogba,” the statement said.
“The competent authorities in Italy and France were seized a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation”, continue the representatives of Paul Pogba in this press release.
A source familiar with the matter tells AFP that an investigation was opened in France in early August and entrusted to the services of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ).
According to France Info radio, Paul Pogba confided during the hearings to investigators from the Central Office for the Fight against Organized Crime that he had “notably been trapped by childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles “
They claim thirteen million euros for “service rendered” and accuse him of not having helped them financially since he became a professional player.
– Mbappé and marabout –
Still according to France Info, Paul Pogba, currently sidelined due to a right knee injury, assures investigators that he has been intimidated several times in Manchester and as far as the Juventus training center. Among the suspects, he claims to have recognized his brother Mathias.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed the information from France Info to AFP.
In this case, the name of French football star Kylian Mbappé also appears, reluctantly: Paul Pogba explained to investigators that “his blackmailers wanted to discredit him by broadcasting messages in which he allegedly asked a marabout about his family circle to cast a spell” on the PSG striker, which the player denies.
For his part, Mathias Pogba maintains his accusations, still without formulating them: “I hope that you will not be fooled by an attempt to manipulate the media and the authorities. When you are famous the world is with you, the authorities listen more carefully. But that doesn’t put you above the law, the police are not your minions!” he wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Sunday evening, he reacted to the first revelations about his brother’s hearing by the police by adding a few messages on Twitter. “Paul you really wanted to shut me up for lying and send me to jail,” Mathias wrote.
“You left me in the hole while fleeing and you want to play the innocent, he added, when all is said people will see that there is no more cowardly, more traitor and more hypocritical than you on this earth.”
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