Paul Pogba's brother Matias among six people sentenced to prison term for extortion: Reports
French midfielder Paul Pogba's brother Mathias is one of six people convicted of extortion attempts targeted at the World Cup winner. On Thursday, December 19, they were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to eight years as per the French media.
Paul Pogba has struggled with injuries throughout his career. Things were exacerbated for the Frenchman when he was banned from the game for 18 months by the Court for Arbitration for Sport for allegedly taking a prohibited substance. At present, the 31-year-old is looking for a new club after his pre-existing contract was terminated by Juventus through mutual agreement.
In 2022, Paul's brother Mathias was reportedly placed under formal investigation after the World Cup winner reported that he was a victim of extortion attempts and threats from an organized gang. He also informed the Paris prosecution office that his childhood friends had extorted €100,000 from the midfielder.
As per ESPN, Mathias has been found guilty of organized and attempted extortion and has received a three-year prison sentence, out of which two are suspended. Additionally, he has been fined €20,000.
The other five convicts to have been sentenced along with Mathias include Roushdane K (eight years), Machikour K (four years, three suspended), Adama C (five years), Mamadou M (five years, 12 months suspended), and Boubacar C (four years, two suspended).
When Paul Pogba revealed the reason he left Manchester United
In an October 16 interview with Daily Mail, Paul Pogba explained why he left Manchester United after his second stint at the club. The 31-year-old also highlighted how rivals Manchester City and Liverpool's progress forced him to look for other clubs to ply his trade.
"I will tell you something I’ve never told anyone. The year Jose went and Ole came, it was my best season at United but after the last game, I told Ole and Ed Woodward that I thought it was my last year and that I wanted to leave," he explained.
"I was 27 back then, it didn’t work out the way I wanted. I gave my best but I didn’t see the club going upwards. Manchester City and Liverpool were better than us and they were improving," the former World Cup winner added.
The Le Havre graduate first joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 2009. However, he mostly played for the age-group and reserve teams of the club before leaving for Juventus in 2012 as a free agent.
The Frenchman came back to his boyhood club in 2016 for a massive transfer fee of €105 million in 2016 before joining Juventus again in 2022. Paul Pogba has played 233 games for Manchester United across his two stints at the club, scoring 39 goals and creating 48 more.