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Six Face Trial In Paris For Blackmailing Paul Pogba

Six men linked to Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba face trial from Tuesday, accused of blackmail, attempted extorsion of millions of euros and holding the player at gunpoint.

The case at the Paris criminal court has shocked the French football world — all the more so because the perpetrators include three childhood friends and Pogba’s own brother Mathias.

The development comes as Pogba battles professional woes, as Juventus this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.

In total, the group are accused of attempting to squeeze 13 million euros ($13.5 million) out of the player.

Mathias was himself the one to go public in the case, publishing a video on social networks in August 2022 in French, Italian, English and Spanish.

He promised revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive” while remaining vague about the details.

In a subsequent clip, Mathias accused his younger brother of casting an evil spell on his France teammate Kylian Mbappe.

Paul Pogba’s lawyers and his agent Rafaela Pimenta said in a statement later in August 2022 that the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion as part of a criminal gang” against their client.

He had already filed criminal complaints in Italy and France in July that year.

Pogba told French investigators that he had in March 2022 been “tricked by childhood friends” from the neighbourhood in Roissy-en-Brie outside Paris where he and Mathias grew up.

He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding 13 million euros for “services rendered” — blaming the footballer for failing to help them financially since his professional success.

Pogba said at the time that he had paid them only 100,000 euros.

The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.

Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than 57,000 euros that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris’ glitzy Champs-Elysees avenue.

Paul Pogba’s lawyer Pierre-Jean Douvier declined to comment ahead of the case when contacted by AFP.

– ‘Like my family’ –
A police overview of the case seen by AFP calls the childhood friends and other acquaintances of Paul Pogba “a criminal team… with the objective of extracting 13 million euros from Paul, who had cut them off financially” early in 2022.

All of the accused deny the allegations, claiming they themselves were victims of the hooded men who held Paul Pogba at gunpoint who have never been identified.

All five face charges of extorsion, kidnapping and forming a criminal gang.

Mathias Pogba, who was not present the night his brother was snatched, is suspected of “pressuring his brother Paul and his family to ensure the payment of the sum of 13 million euros”.

He is charged with attempted extorsion and forming a criminal gang.

Mathias Pogba’s lawyer Mbeko Tabula said he would not comment until the end of the trial.

Mathias claimed months ago that he was only a “puppet” in the extorsion affair, making an emotional appeal to see his brother again.

“I hope our bond will be strengthened again” through a meeting, he said at the time.

The so-called “Pogba affair” has put in the spotlight brotherly ties poisoned by competition and money, but also the difficulty professional footballers can face keeping up friendships with those who knew them before their success.

“Despite everything that’s happened, they’ll always have a place in my heart… they were like my family,” Paul Pogba said in September 2023 after he and the defendants were jointly questioned by investigators.

By AFP

Related Topics:France Juventus Manchester United Paul pogba

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King Ademola Lookman Brings Out His Love

Like his father opened up, Ademola Lookman is essentially a private person, who prefers to do his stuff without all the media blitz.

But on one of his biggest days, when he was crowned Africa’s best player, he could not but make the first public appearance with the woman in his life – Jayda Love.

‘Adebobo’ would even steal a moment on his big night to kiss his American beau.

The 27-year-old Super Eagles star is still single.

Rumours of this romance first surfaced in the summer when the couple appeared to have spent the holidays together.

This was after ‘Mola’ scored his unforgettable hat-trick for Atalanta to win the UEFA Europa League in super style.

Jayda, an Information Technology specialist is based in Dallas, Texas, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2021 with a degree in public relations.

She follows Ademola Lookman and his foundation on social media.

She is also known to have visited him at his Italian base.

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FIFA Rankings: Nigeria’s Super Eagles End 2024 Ahead Of Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have ended 2024 ranked as Africa’s fifth-best team in FIFA’s latest global standings, released Thursday morning, Soccernet.ng reports.

Despite a challenging end to the year that saw the team drop eight places to 44th globally, the Super Eagles still managed to hold their own against eternal continental rivals like South Africa, Cameroon, and Ghana.

This year’s ranking represents a mixed bag for Nigeria. While the team retained its fifth spot in Africa, their decline in global rankings was driven by underwhelming performances in key fixtures.

Most notably, the Super Eagles struggled during the final rounds of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, securing just a solitary point in lackluster outings against the Benin Republic and Rwanda.

Nigeria were forced to a scored draw by the Cheetahs in Abidjan only for Samuel Chukwueze’s excellent strike to end up as consolation in a 2-1 home defeat to the Wasps.

Looking at year-to-year standings, at this time in 2023, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were ranked 42nd in the world but sixth on the continent.

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana showed marked improvement, climbing th

Cameroon and Ghana, however, endured disappointing campaigns. Ghana’s Black Stars finished the year ranked 77th, a stark reminder of the ongoing struggles within the Black Stars setup.

At the continental summit, Morocco retained their status as the continent’s best, finishing as Africa’s top-ranked team in 14th place globally.

Senegal (17th), Egypt (33rd), and Algeria (37th) rounded out the top four, with Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, and South Africa completing the top 10.

Globally, Argentina retained their position as FIFA’s top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, England, and Brazil.

With 1,181 international matches played across the calendar year, the rankings reflected consistent dominance from the world’s elite teams.

As Nigeria enter 2025, all eyes will be on the Super Eagles to reignite their competitive spark, with the World Cup qualifiers returning in the first quarter of the year.

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Mbappé: Would Have Been ‘Fun’ To Play With Cristiano Ronaldo

Kylian Mbappé has said he wishes he could have played with Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s all-time leading scorer.

The France international has been a teammate of other football icons but would have relished playing alongside Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and Portugal captain.

“I’ve played with great players: Lionel Messi, Neymar, [Antoine] Griezmann, [Paul] Pogba, [Karim] Benzema…” Mbappé told BeINsports.

“It would have been fun to play with Cristiano Ronaldo — it’s going to be very difficult now — but I was lucky enough to play against him, a legend of the sport.”

Ronaldo, 39, left the Spanish giants in 2018 now plays for Saudi Pro-League side Al Nassr.

Mbappé helped Madrid win the Intercontinental Cup on Wednesday, his second title since joining the Spanish giants in the summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired.

Speaking to young people with disabilities as part of the BeUNITED program, Mbappe, 25, said he would have never left Paris Saint-Germain had it not been to join Madrid.

“I went to the biggest club in the world,” the 2018 World Cup winner said.

“I have always said that it was the only club I would have left PSG for. If I hadn’t been able to go to Madrid, I would have stayed at PSG all my life.”

Although Mbappé has been prolific for Madrid so far, he has faced criticism for his all-round performances with the team having suffered some high-profile defeats earlier in the season.

“Since I was 14, everyone told me I was going to be great,” Mbappé said.

“But when you’re big, sometimes you feel small…At first I was too hungry and it played tricks on me because I was impatient. But I have passion and this competitive side.

“My dream now is to win trophies with my team, not individual awards. What great title is left for me? The Champions League, but I’m in the best club in the world for that.”