File image of Paul Pogba© AFP
French judges on Tuesday ordered six men to stand trial in a kidnap and extortion case involving French footballer Paul Pogba, with the star's brother Mathias one of the accused, sources close to the case said. The trial follows a two-year investigation into the alleged extortion and kidnapping of the former Manchester United midfielder in a high-profile case that emerged in 2022. Five people close to the World Cup winner are suspected of having "meticulously prepared" a meeting in the Paris suburbs on March 19, 2022, which ended with Pogba being kidnapped and held by two unidentified men who demanded he give them 13 million euros ($14 million), according to Paris prosecutors.
Pogba's brother Mathias -- a former striker himself -- was not present for that meeting, but is suspected of having put pressure on his younger brother afterwards "with the same determination to get (Paul Pogba) to hand over the money", according to prosecutors.
All have denied their guilt in the affair, claiming they were "victims" of armed robbers and that they were assaulted after Paul Pogba refused to pay.
But prosecutors called for the three childhood friends and two former acquaintances from the town where Pogba grew up in eastern Paris who were present on the night to be tried for extortion, illegal restraint and criminal conspiracy.
Pogba -- who plays for Juventus and the French national team but is currently serving a four-year ban for doping -- filed a complaint with Italian prosecutors saying he was the target of a multi-million-euro blackmail plot.
'Curse on Mbappe'
The 31-year-old told investigators that his blackmailers threatened to discredit him by claiming he asked a "marabout", or witch doctor, to cast a spell on fellow France star Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies.
French prosecutors launched an investigation in September 2022 which was handled jointly by the French police's anti-gang and central crime units.
During the investigation, Paul Pogba stated that he had "voluntarily" helped members of the group, but then refused to hand seven million euros over to three of them in September 2021. He subsequently kept his distance from the group, he said.
In late September 2022, his brother Mathias -- who was born in Guinea -- posted a series of videos on social media incriminating Pogba and accusing him of having "abandoned" his family.
The videos came a month after Mathias Pogba had put another video online in French, Italian, English and Spanish promising "great revelations" about his brother.
During the investigation, Mathias said he had been afraid for his safety and that of his family, saying he had been manipulated by the other suspects, and that he hoped he would soon be reconciled with his younger brother.