Soccer star Paul Pogba’s brother arrested in connection with alleged extortion attempt in Germany
It was on a Saturday in October that Pogba’s older brother, Jack, was caught trying to extort €2,000 (£1,800) from a restaurant owner.
Jack, who is believed to have been living with his mother in Duesseldorf, was later released when police refused to arrest him. A Duesseldorf court had reportedly approved his release on Tuesday, but that was cancelled when police said there was no longer enough evidence linking him to the case they had opened, in the first known case of an alleged extortion attempt at a soccer star’s home in Germany.
Police raided Jack’s home in August, but had been unable to get a search warrant because of the size of his family, who now numbered 10, and the fact they were all living there and had been for a long time.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday afternoon, a Duesseldorf police spokesman said they had “no information about possible criminal offenses” by his brother.
Pogba, who has won three Ballon d’Or awards and three Ligue 1 titles, has struggled with his alcohol consumption in a way that has led to many of his professional teams moving away from him.
In a statement, Duesseldorf police said: “We ask for forgiveness from the victim for our mistake, and we regret that this was the sole reason for the delay.
“It became clear that the case did not warrant the efforts of police and a search warrant was not granted. The family will get a reply to the message on the investigation from today.
“If our investigation reveals anything, we will follow the right path and it will receive the right respect.”
Pogba, 24, who had been on international duty on his country’s tour, scored twice as he helped Germany beat Argentina 3-0 in Dortmund on Tuesday night.
