Mathias Pogba, older brother of former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, has been sentenced to three years in jail, with two years suspended, for attempting to extort his brother.
While fined €20,000 (£16,500), Mathias will avoid incarceration, serving one year under electronic surveillance instead.
A Paris court also convicted five other men on charges of extortion and related crimes, handing down sentences ranging from four to eight years.
The case stems from a 2022 incident in which Paul Pogba, 31, said he was tricked by childhood friends, held at gunpoint, and ordered to pay €13 million (£10.8m). Pogba admitted to paying €100,000 (£82,600).
Mathias Pogba’s lawyer, Mbeko Tabula, criticized the sentencing as “extremely harsh” and indicated plans to appeal.
The other defendants received sentences as follows: Roushdane K (8 years), Boubacar C (4 years, 2 suspended), Adama C (5 years), Mamadou M (5 years, 1 suspended), and Machikour K (4 years, 3 suspended).
Paul Pogba previously revealed that the ordeal led him to consider retiring from football. “When there is money, you have to be careful,” he told Al Jazeera. “Money changes people. It can break up a family. It can create a war.”
