Six persons associated with former Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba will go on trial Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extortion of millions of euros, and holding the player at gunpoint.
The case in the Paris criminal court stunned the French football world, especially as the alleged culprits included three boyhood pals and Pogba’s own brother, Mathias.
Tuesday’s trial adds to Pogba’s professional troubles, which have persisted since France’s dramatic 2018 World Cup victory 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.
