Paul Pogba blackmail trial set to open in Paris

PARIS: Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.

The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world -- all the more so because the alleged perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba´s own brother Mathias.

Tuesday´s trial comes on top of professional woes for Pogba, whose career has struggled since France´s spectacular 2018 World Cup win when he scored against Croatia in the Moscow final.

He suffered through repeated injuries that led to his 2022 departure from Manchester United, returning to Juventus where he remained in and out of treatment. The Turin club this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping. The six defendants in Paris are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of Pogba.

Mathias was the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social media in August 2022 promising revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive”. In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused Paul Pogba of casting an evil spell on his France teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Paul Pogba´s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion”. He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.

Pogba told French investigators he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the gritty Paris suburb where he and Mathias grew up. He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and blaming him for not helping them financially.

Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros. The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team´s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus´ training ground.