Paul Pogba has said he has been the target of extortion and threats from an organised gang.
The Juventus and France midfielder issued a statement signed by his lawyers, his mother, Yeo Moriba, and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta. The news agency AFP said French police had opened an investigation, citing a source close to the case.
The statement came after Pogba’s brother Mathias posted a video online in four languages promising “great revelations” about the World Cup winner and Pimenta.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
The statement said the videos were “unfortunately no surprise” and added: “They are in addition to threats and extortion attempts by an organised gang against Paul Pogba. The competent bodies in Italy and France were informed a month ago and there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation.”
Mathias Pogba said he believed “the French, Italian and English public, my brother’s fans, and even more the French national team, the Juventus team, my brother’s teammates and his sponsors deserve to know certain things”.
