Pogba, His Brother, and the £11 Million Extortion Scheme: An Inside Look at the Everton Takeover and the Forster Controversy

eScored FC ⚽ is eScored’s daily football (or soccer, if that’s your preference) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly in your inbox.

Greetings. The aura surrounding the Paul Pogba empire has dimmed. Yet, a new beginning emerges at Everton.

Coming up:

£11m Extortion Scheme: Pogba’s brother receives suspended prison sentence for midfielder’s blackmail

(GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)

Consider how influential Brand Pogba could have been. Recall the summer of 2018, when Paul Pogba transcended the encompassing skepticism and led his team to a World Cup victory. The glories of football belonged to him and his entourage. That was merely six-and-a-half years ago.

Today, Brand Pogba signifies a fallen empire. Soon, the midfielder will reach the conclusion of a doping ban that has kept him from playing since September 2023. He is set to return in March, but he can start training with a club next month. The challenge is finding one, as he and Juventus mutually agreed to terminate his contract three weeks ago.

Yet, professional challenges are just part of his turmoil. Recently, Pogba’s elder brother, Mathias (above, right), was one of six individuals convicted for attempting to extort money from the France international, culminating in a case that involved blackmail, witchcraft allegations, and Kylian Mbappe.

In brief, Pogba revealed that the group demanded over £11 million ($12.5 million) by threatening to publicly assert that he engaged a marabout — a term that refers to a Muslim spiritual guide, often likened to an African witch doctor — to put a curse on France teammate Mbappe. While all six defendants denied any wrongdoing, they were found guilty in Paris.

Mathias, age 34, was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, with the final year to be served under house arrest. Pogba is entitled to over £200,000 in compensation but was absent during the verdict.

For him, this chapter closes an uncomfortable saga. Now, at 31 years old, he must attempt to start anew in a career that had seemingly endless potential back in 2018. He hopes for a variety of clubs to choose from, yet nothing speaks more to the decline of Brand Pogba than his need to settle for any option available.

Everton’s Resurgence: How U.S. owners rescued the club from financial distress

As the adage goes, if you’re looking to make a small fortune owning a football club, begin with a large one. This holds true for Farhad Moshiri, who invested £800 million in Everton. After selling the club yesterday, he may leave with just a fraction of that amount.

Others will attempt what he couldn’t, as Premier League clubs are highly sought after, particularly for barely advanced by the skin of their teeth. They went 3-0 ahead against Manchester United before goalkeeper Fraser Forster began making questionable attempts to pass from the back. A couple of blunders (the most notable one, featured above) allowed United to get back into contention, only for United to end up conceding directly from a corner. By the final whistle, it was 4-3, providing all the entertainment.

TAFC has been monitoring the comical habit of playing out from the back for months. Stuart James took it a step further today by examining what he refers to as “the most dangerous pass in football” — the moment when a keeper rolls the ball to an outfield player on the edge of the box during an opposition press. I could advise, ‘wise up, folks,’ but truly, for the sake of this newsletter’s GIF obsession, keep those blunders coming.

Around eScored FC

(Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Catch A Match (Times ET/UK)

(Highlighted fixtures)

Friday: German Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig, 2.30pm/7.30pm — ESPN+, Fubo/Sky Sports.

Saturday: Premier League: Aston Villa vs Manchester City, 7.30am/12.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/TNT Sports; Crystal Palace vs Arsenal, 12.30pm/5.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports; League One: Bristol Rovers vs Wrexham, 7.30am/12.30pm — CBS, Paramount+, Amazon Prime/Sky Sports; La Liga: Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid, 3pm/8pm — ESPN+, Fubo/ITV4, Premier Sports.

Sunday: Premier League: Everton vs Chelsea, 9am/2pm — USA Network, Fubo; Fulham vs Southampton, 9am/2pm — Peacock Premium/Sky Sports; Manchester United vs Bournemouth, 9am/2pm — Peacock Premium; Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool, 11.30am/4.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports; La Liga: Real Madrid vs Sevilla, 10.15am/3.15pm — ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports; Dutch Eredivisie: PSV vs Feyenoord, 8.30am/1.30pm — ESPN+/TrillerTV+.

And finally…

A late contender for the red-card-of-the-year award comes from the untamed realm of Scotland’s lower leagues.

During a match between Forfar (on the east coast) and Peterhead (from the north coast), excitement sparked just before halftime when Peterhead’s Kieran Shanks found the net. Midfielder Andy McCarthy celebrated by blasting the ball at Forfar’s goalkeeper (note the top left after the goal). A scuffle subsequently ensued, resulting in an early exit for some players. Quite a moment.

(Top photo: Mathias Pogba, second right, arrives at the Paris Criminal Court in November. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)