Mathias Pogba Sentenced to Three Years for Extorting His Brother Paul Pogba

In a shocking turn of events, Mathias Pogba, older brother of renowned footballer Paul Pogba, has been sentenced in a Paris court to three years for attempting to extort his sibling. The court's ruling, announced Thursday, suspended two of those years, allowing Mathias to serve one year with an electronic monitoring device instead of incarceration. In addition to the sentence, he was also fined €20,000 (£16,500).

The trial revealed that Mathias was part of a larger criminal scheme in which five additional men were convicted alongside him. Their sentences varied, with imprisonment ranging from four to eight years. The extortion attempt took a dramatic turn when Paul Pogba, now 31, revealed that he was held at gunpoint by individuals he described as childhood friends demanding a staggering €13 million (£10.8 million). According to Paul, he ultimately paid them €100,000 (£82,600) as a desperate measure.

Mathias' lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, criticized the court’s decision as “extremely harsh” and indicated plans to appeal. The severity of the case has cast a shadow over the Pogba family, as Paul has previously expressed how the situation pushed him to contemplate retirement from football, stating that the influence of money could lead to familial discord and chaos.

Since the sentencing, Paul Pogba’s experience has prompted discussions in the football community about the pressures athletes face off the pitch, especially in relation to financial exploitation and trust.