KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: A police investigation is under way in France into blackmail threats to Juventus star Paul Pogba.

The footballer issued hs own statement the day after the broadcast of a video in which his 32-year-old elder brother Mathias Pogba promised “big revelations” about his younger brother.

An investigation was opened in early August in France, according to the Agence France-Presse new agency.

Yesterday [Sunday] Pogba’s lawyers issued a statement, saying:

“Mathias Pogba’s recent statements on social media are unfortunately not a surprise. They are in addition to threats and extortion attempts in an organised gang against Paul Pogba. The relevant authorities in Italy and France were informed a month ago and there will be no further comments regarding the ongoing investigation.”

The statement was issued on behalf of Paul Pogba, mother Yeo Moriba and the player’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta.

Pogba had reportedly told investigators from the central office for the fight against organised crime that on one occasion he had “been trapped by childhood friends and two hooded men armed with assault rifles.”

He also stated that “the band demanded €13m protection money from him and had threatened him several times including at the Juventus training centre where he recognised [his brother] Mathias Pogba among the suspects.”

Pogba added that he had “always been close to his childhood friends” until January, when he realised “that one of them had used his credit card to steal €200,000 from him.”

As the family feud escalated Mathias Pogba, who has played for Wrexham, Crawley Town and Crewe Alexandra, hit back.

He tweeted: “I hope that you will not be fooled by an attempt to manipulate the media and the authorities. When you are famous the world is with you, the authorities listen more attentively. But that does not put you above the law, the police are not your minions.

“Paul you really wanted to shut me up for lying and send me to jail.

“You left me in the hole while fleeing and you want to play the innocent. When everything is said people will see that there is no more cowardly, more traitor and more hypocritical than you on this earth.”

Mathias Pogba’s video was broadcast on social networks in four languages: French, Italian, English and Spanish.

He warned that he would release “explosive” about his brother and agent Pimenta, who had taken over the management of the company run by Mino Raiola, who died in April.

He added that Juventus, the “sponsors” and “the whole world deserve to know certain things in order to decide in full knowledge of the facts if Paul Pogba really deserves admiration , respect, his place in the France team, if he is a trustworthy person.

It has been reported that large sums of money were being demanded of Paul Pogba to prevent the publication of allegedly compromising videos.

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