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Paul Pogba battles extortion by brother; witchcraft allegations
French midfielder Paul Pogba Witters Sport-USA TODAY Sports

French star footballer Paul Pogba claims extortion by brother; denies witchcraft allegations

If you thought the feud between the Gallagher brothers in the 90s was whack, just wait until you get a look at what's going on with French soccer player Paul Pogba and his brother Mathias -- a saga involving blackmailing family members and accusing them of witchcraft.

First came reports last week that the Juventus midfielder and World Cup winner was being extorted by a gang, including his older brother Mathias and some of their childhood friends, for 13 million Euros. This sum is supposedly on top of 100,000 Euros that Pogba reportedly already paid under duress.

Pogba's brother proceeded to post a video to social media discrediting the soccer star and claiming he paid a witchcraft doctor to cast a spell on fellow French soccer star Kylian Mbappe.

The public mess between the siblings hasn't gotten any clearer in the last few days. As CBS Sports summarizes, Paul Pogba has now also said that a childhood friend stole $200,000 from him when he played with Manchester United, although he did not report anything being stolen at the time. He has also admitted to hiring a witch doctor, but to allegedly protect himself from injury.

Additionally, big bro Mathias continues to post cryptic videos to social media claiming Paul has "implicated me despite myself, and I almost died because of you."

As crazy as it all sounds, this isn't the first time the Pogba brothers and their squabble have created a spectacle. CBS Sports adds via Le Figaro that third-tier club Tour FC had its own run-in with the Pogba brothers that ended with the club being owed $80,000 and club manager Jean-Marc Ettori calling the brothers' mother a gang leader.

To call the whole ordeal a full-blown soap opera is probably being kind -- and it isn't going to have a positive impact on Paul Pogba's standing with the French national soccer team. Only time will tell at this point if this brotherly feud will have a happy ending, or if it will sink Pogba's international playing career.

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