After finding him guilty in an extortion case, a Paris court condemned the brother of France player Paul Pogba to three years in jail, with two years suspended, on Thursday.
Instead of behind bars, Mathias Pogba will be able to wear an electronic bracelet for the duration of his one-year sentence.
The brother of Paul Pogba was also punished 20,000 euros by the court for his involvement in the 2022 attempt to extort 13 million euros ($13.5 million) from Pogba and for pressuring the footballer, his family, and his business associates to get the money.
The French football community has been stunned by the case involving six guys connected to Paul Pogba because the accused offenders included Pogba’s brother and three of his childhood buddies.
The five other offenders received sentences of up to eight years in jail and fines ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 euros after being found guilty of extortion, kidnapping, and imprisonment, in addition to involvement in a criminal association.
Considered the case’s mastermind and the only one to show up in custody, Roushdane K. received an eight-year prison sentence.
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Mbeko Tabula, Mathias Pogba’s attorney, called the decision “extremely harsh” and stated that he intended to appeal.
In August 2022, Mathias was the one to make the case public by posting a video on social media that promised “likely to be explosive” disclosures concerning his younger brother.
In March 2022, Pogba explained to French authorities that he had been “tricked by childhood friends” from the rough and tumble Paris district where he and Mathias were raised.
He claimed they had taken him away before two hooded men brandishing assault rifles held him at gunpoint, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” and accusing him of not providing them with financial support.
At the time, Pogba claimed to have merely given them 100,000 euros.
