Dylan Bettencourt
Paul Pogba’s brother Mathias has been taken into police custody to be questioned regarding accusations that he attempted to extort money from his younger brother.
A source close to the investigation said on Wednesday that Mathias presented himself to the investigators in the early afternoon and was taken into custody, the Guardian reported.
Three other individuals are also said to be in custody.
The formal probe by authorities comes after early investigations into allegations of blackmail and extortion by a group of gang members with the help of Mathias.
Early suspicions from investigators are that Mathias is the main culprit and director of the extortion operation, according to RMCSport.
Pogba told police he had been targeted since March this year by the gang, said to be made up of childhood friends.
The Juventus midfielder paid the group around R17,000 earlier this year, judicial sources told Reuters.
Despite releasing several videos threatening to expose his brother, Mathias denied all the allegations in a statement posted on social media.
His lawyer emphasised Mathias’s denials.
“Taking into account how the affair has evolved and the huge media attention surrounding it, Mathias Pogba strongly insists he knows nothing about any extortion attempt against his brother, Paul Pogba,” read the lawyer’s statement.
“Mathias Pogba, who wishes above all to calm the situation with his brother, will from now on only speak with the investigating magistrates, should it be necessary.”
Meanwhile matters on the field have not been easy for Pogba as he took the decision to have surgery on his injured knee.
Depending on the success of the surgery Pogba could miss out on the World Cup set for Qatar later this year.
Image source: @GettyImages
