Fresh twist in Pogba extortion case as more videos released

Mathias Pogba, the elder brother of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba, has released a string of videos on social media in which he takes aim at the Juventus midfielder as the extortion case involving the two siblings continues.

In excess of 30 videos were distributed on social media in which Mathias Pogba hits out at his brother’s wealthy lifestyle and entourage, which comes amid a police investigation into allegations that Paul Pogba has been the subject of threats from a criminal gang.

Mathias Pogba voluntarily submitted to the police enquiry last week and is understood to have remained in the custody of authorities.

It is unclear when the videos were recorded, though the timing suggests that they were filmed in recent weeks and scheduled for automatic release on Twitter – with some of the clips displaying the text “insurance video, held in a safe place.”

“If you are watching this video that will be because my brother Paul Pogba has found a way to silence me,” Mathias Pogba says in one of the videos.

“I record this video so that whatever happens, everything is revealed.”

He added: “The mask is coming off, just like with R.Kelly, [Harvey] Weinstein and [Benjamin] Mendy. You will see that it is not a pretty sight. Being famous does not mean that you are a good person. Nobody is above the law.”

He goes on to allege that Paul Pogba financially abandoned members of his family and that he regularly consorts with criminals, and even that he employed the use of a witch doctor to undermine a rival’s performances.

He further accused Paul Pogba of spending several million euros on the services of the witch doctor, which he supposedly used to help France win the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The football star also allegedly asked the figure to ‘neutralize’ Kylian Mbappe ahead of a Champions League tie between Paris Saint-German and Manchester United, whom Paul Pogba represented at the time.

Mathias Pogba provided no proof for his allegations, and his sibling has denied the claims against him. 

The video clips were accompanied by a message which said that if the videos are being seen by the public it “also means that I am no longer free.”

Mathias Pogba also accused his brother of having “betrayed his henchmen,” who he says have targeted Pogba’s associates as a result, adding that some Pogba family members “have already been assaulted and shot at” amid the scandal.

The latest developments come weeks after the Paris Prosecutor’s Office opened a case to investigate claims that Paul Pogba had become the target of a plot operated by his brother and a criminal gang during which they had demanded $13 million from him over a prolonged period of time.

Mathias Pogba has denied being linked to the scheme.

It was also reported that the criminal threats began earlier this year after Paul Pogba ended financial payments to the group in January. 

The investigation continues.