Juventus Star Paul Pogba Was Held Hostage By Gang, Blackmailed For $13 Million By His Brother And Friends

Juventus star Paul Pogba recently revealed that he was targeted by an organized gang. He claimed that he is a victim of extortion attempts.

The former Manchester United midfielder and the France World Cup winner issued a statement through his lawyers on Sunday to confirm that they had reported the incident to the authorities, reported Metro. A probe for "extortion attempts in an organized gang" on Paul was opened on Aug. 3 in France. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed it on Monday, reported franceinfo.

On Saturday, his brother Mathias Pogba had promised "revelations" on social networking sites. And now, Paul has claimed to be a victim of threats and attempted extortion from his brother and childhood friends.

He told investigators from the Central Office for the Fight Against Organized Crime that he had been trapped by his friends and two hooded men who were armed with assault rifles. Pogba added that the gang demanded 13 million euros (nearly $13 million) from him. They apparently intimidated him several times.

The football team hosted Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa in a friendly match on March 25 and 29. So, Paul took the opportunity to visit his family in Lagny-sur-Marne. It was then that his friends allegedly dragged him to an apartment in Paris. They reportedly blamed him for not helping them financially since he became a professional player. They demanded 13 million euros for "service rendered". They ensured that they had protected him discreetly for 13 years.

Paul, a 2018 world champion, told investigators that he had seen his blackmailers several times in April in Manchester and in July at the Juventus training center in Turin. It was in Turin that he recognized his brother Mathias among the people he has accused of intimidating him. After this, Paul, who has conflicting relations with his brother, approached his club's lawyers who decided to notify the police.

During his interviews with police, the Juventus player explained to investigators from the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police that he had always been close to his childhood friends. Paul added that he had never hesitated to help them financially when they were in the need, until last January. That time he had kicked a friend out of his house who he was hosting in Manchester. He had done so because he had realized that the friend had used his credit card to steal 200,000 Euros ($1,99,917.00) from him.

Meanwhile, Mathias laughed off the allegations. He said that his little brother is "finally starting to show his true face." He claimed that Paul lied to the police, and said, "Brother, manipulating people is not good! It’s not about money." He added that his brother implicated him and that he almost "died because of you, you left me in a hole and you want to play the innocent one."

Mathias shared that when everything is said people will see that "there is no bigger coward, bigger traitor and bigger hypocrite than you on this earth," according to Get French Football News. The 32-year-old played for teams including Crawley Town, Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham.