French court calls for trial for those accused of kidnapping Paul Pogba

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office asked this Wednesday, at the end of an investigation, that six people close to Paul Pogba, including his brother Mathias, be criminally tried for kidnapping and extortion against the player, according to a source close to the case, who took place in 2022.

According to the charges, five people close to Pogba are suspected of having “meticulously prepared” a meeting in the suburbs of Paris on March 19, 2022, during which two unidentified men kidnapped and robbed the French player, from whom they requested 13 million euros (approximately R$76 million).

His older brother, Mathias, who was absent that night, is suspected of having pressured the player, “with the same determination to get (Paul Pogba) to hand over the money”. During the investigation, the accused denied the facts and stated that they were also victims of the two attackers.

Pogba’s three childhood friends and two old acquaintances were accused of extortion with a weapon and gang kidnapping, as well as participation in a criminal association.

Thank you to the President of the Republic, @EmmanuelMacronand to @AOC1978 for coming to Clairefontaine to encourage the Blues before EURO 2024 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/RwTEZdIHwP

— FFF (@FFF) June 3, 2024

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office asked this Wednesday that the aggravating factor of organized criminal group be removed and that everyone be tried for extortion, kidnapping and criminal association. The case came to light when Mathias Pogba published a video in which he accused his brother of “abandoning” him.

Amid the investigation, Mathias stated that he feared for his safety and that of his family. In January, he told the judge that he was manipulated by the other suspects and that he hoped to reconcile with his brother.

The Public Ministry asks that Mathias be tried for extortion and criminal association. “Several intercepted conversations” in 2022 “attest to the interested party’s firm intention to obtain a payment under threat”, states the prosecutor’s office. It will be up to the investigating judge to decide whether or not the case will be taken to trial.

In February 2024, an Italian anti-doping court handed down a four-year suspension to Paul Pogba, then a Juventus player, for testing positive for testosterone in a test carried out in August 2023.