Paul Pogba's brother arrested for trying to kidnap him

Mathias Pogba was placed under police surveillance this Wednesday, in the course of an investigation that makes him a suspect in extortion and attempted kidnapping of his brother Paul Pogba, Juventus midfielder and world champion with France in 2018.

The French Judicial Police imposed on Mathias, 32, the condition of custody, preventing him from leaving his home, after arresting him and questioning him about his alleged participation in the attempted kidnapping of his 29-year-old brother, from whom he asked for a ransom of 13 million euros, according to judicial sources cited by the newspaper Le Monde and AFP.

The process began when Rafaela Pimenta, Paul Pogba's lawyer, filed a complaint at the end of August, warning the police that her client had been extorted into paying 13 million euros.

Three other people were arrested in the course of an investigation that studies possible crimes of "extortion with a weapon in an organized gang, abduction or kidnapping to facilitate a crime, and belonging to a criminal organization."

The Juventus footballer, who a few days after filing the complaint suffered a knee injury that threatens to leave him out of the World Cup in Qatar, told the police that the group that had tried to kidnap him included friends from the suburb where he grew up , outside of Paris.

He further revealed that they threatened him when he went to visit his family last spring, forcing him to go to an apartment where he gave them 100,000 euros.

Pogba stated that they continued to harass him in Manchester, and then in Turin, where he now resides since he signed for Juventus.

The scandal surfaced when on August 27 Mathias himself posted a video on social media threatening his brother with making "great explosive revelations" after accusing him of lying and manipulating public opinion.

Neither the mediation of Florentin, Mathias's twin brother, nor the efforts of the boys' mother, Yeo Moriba, helped ease the family and police tension.

Richard Arbib, Mathias's lawyer, declared last week that his client "has nothing to do with any extortion" and added that "the difficulties that the Pogba family is going through are related to external threats" and that Mathias is now trying to "improve the relationship ” with his younger brother.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on