Brother denies Pogba extortion

MATHIAS POGBA, the brother of former Manchester United star Paul Pogba, has been placed under formal investigation and ordered to be detained in connection with an extortion case targeting the Juventus midfielder.

Mathias is being investigated on suspicion of gang-based extortion and participation in a criminal association.

He has denied the allegations against him in statements posted on social media and his lawyer, Yassine Bouzrou, reiterated that his client is innocent. He told French broadcaster BFMTV: ‘We are going to challenge this decision.’

Four other people who appeared along with Mathias before a judge late on Saturday were also put under formal investigation and three were ordered to be detained.

Earlier this month the Paris prosecutor’s office opened a judicial probe into allegations by Paul Pogba that he was the target of extortion attempts and threats from an organised gang.

The France international, 29, also filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors on July 16 claiming he was the target of a 13m (£11.29m) blackmail plot. Franceinfo radio claimed that the group, armed with MI6 assault rifles, demanded the cash from the French midfielder for ‘protection services’ stretching back 13 years.

The World Cup winner claims the gang has been threatening him for four months.

Acts of intimidation were carried out in Manchester in April, and later around the Italian city of Turin, where Pogba currently plays for Juventus.

The gang is also accused of taking Paul to a flat in the Paris suburb of Lagny-surMarne, where he grew up, at the end of March. There, the gang members accused the 29-year-old of not helping them financially since he became a professional player.