Brother of Juventus star Pogba released from prison after alleged £11m extortion attempt

• Arrested and detained in September
• Initial release request rejected
• Must adhere to certain terms

WHAT HAPPENED? The 32-year-old was arrested and charged over an alleged extortion plot against his World Cup-winning sibling back in September and has been in pre-trial detention since then. An initial request for release at the time of his imprisonment was denied.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mathias Pogba’s legal representative, Yassine Bouzrou, has now revealed to Le Parisien and BFMTV that his client has been released. Four other people are under formal investigation for extortion and criminal association.

WHAT THEY SAID?: Paul Pogba contacted police claiming that a gang had been demanding £11 million ($13m) from him for “protection services”, with the 29-year-old paying out around £100,000 in order to “save time” after he had been threatened by masked and armed thugs in a Paris apartment while on international duty with France.

THE BIGGER PICTURE? Mathias Pogba, who released a series of videos on social media in which he vowed to deliver a number of “great revelations” about his brother – including how Paul Pogba supposedly sought assistance from a witch doctor in order to cast a spell on Les Bleus colleague Kylian Mbappe – has always maintained his innocence.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Joaquin Sarmiento

Getty

WHAT NEXT? Under the terms of his release, Mathias Pogba is reportedly prohibited from contacting Paul or his mother, while he has also been prevented from leaving France or using social networks.