Pogba was subjected to an alleged blackmail attempt by an armed gang
Paul Pogba reportedly considered quitting football following an alleged blackmail attempt from an armed gang.
Pogba told authorities that he was taken to an apartment in Paris in March of this year by an armed gang who demanded €13m from the player, claiming that they had been protecting him for the past 13 years.
Le Journal du Dimanche reported that the Juventus midfielder’s friend, Boubacar Camara, revealed to investigators that the 2018 World Cup winner had second thoughts about his career shortly after the alleged blackmail attempt.
He said: “Paul said to me… ‘I don’t want to play football anymore, I want to disappear.’ Paul was crying, I told him to calm down… He was afraid for his children, his wife, his family.”
The 29-year-old has been under police protection in Italy after his older brother Mathias was arrested in connection to the blackmail allegations.
Mathias, 32, was charged and detained with an alleged plot to extort money from his brother and in response released a number of videos and letters to social media accusing him of witchcraft while he was in provisional detention.
Je laisse aussi un message pour Paul : pic.twitter.com/5bbqUf3kwZ
— Mathias Pogba (@LeMathiasPogba) September 23, 2022
Four others were also arrested and placed under formal investigation for extortion and criminal association after Paul had told police that the gang had been threatening him since March, 2022 and had demanded £11m from him.
Pogba is currently out with an injury and hasn’t featured for Juventus competitively since rejoining from Manchester United in the summer.
He faces a race against time to be fit enough for the World Cup as Didier Deschamps prepares to name his squad that he hopes will successfully defend their World Cup crown in Qatar this winter.
Witch doctors, threats at gunpoint, and a brewing World Cup storm
The alleged blackmail plot against Paul Pogba – in which his brother Mathias has now been charged – explained pic.twitter.com/O0mxzITtcY
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 20, 2022
Related links:
- Mathias Pogba sends open letter to Paul over extortion allegations
- Paul Pogba’s brother charged with alleged extortion plot against Juventus midfielder
- Mathias Pogba taken into custody in connection with blackmail affair
