Picture Credit: Twitter
Mathias Pogba, the elder brother of Paul Pogba and four others are "likely to be charged" in an extortion case targeting the Juventus star, as per judicial sources on Saturday. They are due to appear before a judge later in the day, the sources said. Mathias has taken responsibility for the bizarre video published online on 27 August which had promised "great revelations" about the French national team member.
The four others are all close to the Pogba brothers and are aged between 27 and 36. All these five individuals have been held in custody since Tuesday and Wednesday. Paul Pogba had filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors on 16 July as he was the target of a 13-million-euro blackmail plot.
As per sources close to the Pogba family contacted by Agence France-Presse, Paul was asked for large sums of money if he wanted to avoid the circulation of allegedly compromising videos. Paul Pogba revealed to the investigators that his blackmailers wanted to announce that he was asking a marabout (holy man) to cast a spell on Paris Saint-Germain and France star Kylian Mbappe, which was denied by Pogba.
What did Mathias Pogba say?
The 32-year-old released a video talking about how he has information about certain things about Paul Pogba that the France team and his club Juventus must know. He further talked about how after these revelations it would be the responsibility of the authorities to determine what happens with Paul.
Mathias said, "The French, English, Italian and Spanish public, in other words, the whole world, as well as my brother's fans, and even more so the French team and Juventus, my brother's team-mates and his sponsors deserve to know certain things."
"In order to make an informed decision if he deserves the admiration, respect and love of the public. If he deserves his place in the French team and the honour of playing in the World Cup. If he deserves to be a starter at Juventus. If he is a trustworthy person, that any player deserves to have at his side."