August 28, 2022
The brief from today:
Trouble in the Pogba camp
Paul Pogba is currently on the receiving end of a blackmailing scandal, which he has now escalated to law enforcement in France and Italy. These sorts of stories aren’t completely unheard of for footballers, as just last month Crystal Palace midfielder, Cheick Doucoure, announced he was also dealing with a similar situation. What makes the Pogba matter unique, however, is who is apparently involved in the blackmailing: his older brother Mathias. The elder Pogba posted a video on social media, and in it claimed to have damning information on his brother Paul, as well as Kylian Mbappe, and Paul’s lawyer/agent Rafaela Pimenta. In the video released he said the following:
I’m announcing that I’ll soon be making big revelations about my brother, Paul Pogba, his lawyer, his friend and his confidante Rafaela Pimenta, who Paul calls his ‘second mother’ as if one wasn’t enough. I’m making this video today because I think that the French, Spanish, English, and Italian people, as well as fans of my brother, Juventus, the French national team, his teammates and his sponsors, deserve to know certain things so they can decide in full knowledge of the facts whether he really deserves the respect, admiration, and love of the public. If he deserves to play in the World Cup, if he deserves to start for Juventus, if he is a person worthy of our confidence and whether he is worthy of being a role model for the youth. I will also tell you very important things about Kylian Mbappe, the star of world football, and there will be numerous witnesses to confirm my remarks. All of this could be explosive and make a huge noise.
The group blackmailing Pogba, which allegedly includes his brother and others from his old neighborhood, is said to be demanding €13 million from him to stop them from releasing incriminating information. According to the police report filed by Paul, his blackmailers have already harassed him while he was in Paris on international duty in March of this year, and again in July at Juventus’s training ground. While money seems to be one motivator, with the group feeling like Pogba hasn’t taken care of them financially since he became a professional, there also seems to be a link to a harassment complaint filed by Paul against a relative. According to Mathias, a first cousin to the Pogba family, who they “grew up with”, visited Paul recently, but in response, a report to the Italian police was filed for harassment because the person was allegedly unknown to Paul. Aside from reporting the blackmailing to the relevant authorities, the legal representation for Paul, his mother, and Rafaela Pimenta released a brief statement saying, “Mathias Pogba’s recent statements on social media are unfortunately no surprise. They are in addition to threats and group-organized extortion attempts against Paul Pogba … there will be no further comments in relation to the ongoing investigation.” Pogba recently moved back to Juventus after an inconsistent five-year spell at Manchester United, and appeared to be in good spirits, but a knee injury in preseason has already disrupted his return to Turin. This off-field matter will now surely add further unwanted stress as he tries to regain his fitness, and form, with the World Cup only three months away.
Paul (with World Cup) and Mathias (far right) during better times long before this blackmailing scandal
PSG using scare tactics
Inter sporting director, Giuseppe Marotta, made some starling comments regarding his negotiations with PSG in their quest to sign Inter defender, Milan Škriniar. The Ligue 1 side have been chasing the Slovakian defender all summer, but the offer hasn’t reached Inter’s valuation thus far. PSG agreed personal terms with Skriniar rather quickly, but then the prolonged back and forth between the two clubs spilled into the start of both domestic leagues, and suddenly Inter president, Steven Zhang, announced the player wouldn’t be sold. Well, it seems there’s a reason for the abrupt decision as Marotta’s remarks revealed some strong arm tactics were used by the French champions. With Skriniar’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 season, PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, allegedly “threatened” Marotta telling him to take the offer on the table, otherwise he would sign Skriniar for free at the end of the current campaign. This statement, combined with what Inter consider to be an unsatisfactory offer, is what seems to have precipitated the club’s decision to change their stance on selling. Marotta said as much when talking to the press after Inter’s latest Serie A match saying, “I can say that the owner of our club expressed, last week, the desire not to be cajoled by PSG … this disguised threat is not enough to impact the player’s values.” With four days remaining in the transfer window, however, it will interesting to see whether either club will change positions: PSG with their offer, and Inter with their willingness to sell.
Marotta (left) is accusing Al-Khelaifi (right) of using scare tactics during negotiations for Milan Škriniar