‘Talking to a club': Pogba eyes comeback after doping ban, reconnects with brother
PARIS, June 23 — Former France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is 'talking' with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco.
The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort €13 million (RM64 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner.
Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him.
Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued.
He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March.
'It was very, very hard,' he said.
He said he was 'talking' to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco.
Pogba said he was determined 'to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time'.
The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother.
The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined.
Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars.
'We are in contact. We've spoken, among ourselves, with the family,' Paul Pogba said. 'It's a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We're moving forward. Only time can give us answers.'
'All we want is to always be united as a family. That's the most important thing. It's hard. Of course it's very hard, I'm not going to lie. I was hurt. It's not the same as before, but we're in touch,' he added.
Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money.
He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but 'afterwards, I cracked,' he said, deciding 'to speak out, even if it meant dying' and refusing 'to throw away my money like that'.
He said the ban and the court case had changed him
'I learned a lot during this period,' Pogba said. 'I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children.' — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Man City, Real, Juventus Advance to Club World Cup Last 16
MANCHESTER CITY hit Al Ain for six on Sunday to secure a place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup after Real Madrid shrugged off an early red card to beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-1. Juventus proved too strong for Wydad Casablanca while Red Bull Salzburg and Al Hilal drew 0-0 as the second round of group games at the tournament came to a conclusion. The match between City and Al Ain in Atlanta was dubbed the 'Abu derby', with the English club's owner and United Arab Emirates vice-president Sheikh Mansour facing off against his elder sibling, Sheikh Mohamed, president of the Emirati team and also the country. Ilkay Gundogan put City ahead early on before 19-year-old Claudio Echeverri netted his first goal for the club with a free-kick and Erland Haaland slotted in the third with a penalty in first-half stoppage time. In the second half, Gundogan struck again before two substitutes joined in, with Oscar Bobb rolling in the fifth and Rayan Cherki grabbing his first City goal for 6-0. The result, in a game watched by a crowd of over 40,000, means both City and Juventus are through to the knockout phase after each winning their first two matches in Group G. They will now face each other in Orlando on Thursday to decide who tops the section. 'Now we have to see whether we'll be first or second in the group,' said City coach Pep Guardiola, who changed his entire starting line-up following the 2-0 opening win against Wydad. 'We played a little bit better than the first game, especially in the second half.' Juventus triumphed 4-1 against Moroccan giants Wydad in Philadelphia, as Kenan Yildiz played a starring role. Yildiz stars for Juventus The Turkish international forward scored twice after forcing the early own goal which put Juve ahead in front of almost 32,000 at Lincoln Financial Field. His shot found the net with the aid of a slight but crucial deflection off Abdelmounaim Boutouil, and Yildiz then smashed in the second on 16 minutes with a brilliant half-volley. South African winger Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back for Wydad, but the impressive Yildiz made it 3-1 midway through the second half and Dusan Vlahovic converted a penalty in injury time to seal the win for Igor Tudor's side. 'He has great potential,' Tudor told broadcaster DAZN when asked about Yildiz. 'A wonderful player, so there is a big future in front of him.' In Charlotte, Real Madrid overcame the early sending-off of Raul Asencio to beat Pachuca and get their first win under new coach Xabi Alonso. Defender Asencio was dismissed after just seven minutes for pulling down Salomon Rondon with the Venezuelan clear on goal. That left the Liga MX team sensing the chance for an upset in front of 70,248 fans at the home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. Rudiger complains of racist insult However, Real took the lead on 35 minutes when Jude Bellingham buried a left-foot shot into the bottom corner, and they scored again before the interval through Arda Guler. Fede Valverde got their third in the second half, with a deflected Elias Montiel effort pulling one back for Pachuca. Alonso praised the way his team handled the early sending-off. 'It became really intense for us, but we defended with a lot of sacrifice and solidarity, which is what it takes,' he said. Alonso also said that Real defender Antonio Rudiger had complained of a racist incident at the end of the game when the German was visibly angered following an exchange of words with Pachuca's Gustavo Cabral. 'I think the FIFA protocol has been activated to investigate, but if it has happened, all measures should be taken and we support Antonio because it's something unacceptable,' said the coach. Cabral, the 39-year-old Argentinian centre-back, denied the accusations, saying his words had been misinterpreted. Real are level at the top of Group H on four points with Salzburg, who drew 0-0 with Al Hilal in Washington, DC. Madrid and Salzburg meet each other next in Philadelphia, while Al Hilal have two points and can still qualify with a win when they play Pachuca, who are now out.
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘Talking to a club': Pogba eyes comeback after doping ban, reconnects with brother
PARIS, June 23 — Former France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is 'talking' with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco. The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort €13 million (RM64 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner. Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him. Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued. He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March. 'It was very, very hard,' he said. He said he was 'talking' to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco. Pogba said he was determined 'to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it's just a matter of time'. The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother. The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined. Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars. 'We are in contact. We've spoken, among ourselves, with the family,' Paul Pogba said. 'It's a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We're moving forward. Only time can give us answers.' 'All we want is to always be united as a family. That's the most important thing. It's hard. Of course it's very hard, I'm not going to lie. I was hurt. It's not the same as before, but we're in touch,' he added. Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money. He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but 'afterwards, I cracked,' he said, deciding 'to speak out, even if it meant dying' and refusing 'to throw away my money like that'. He said the ban and the court case had changed him 'I learned a lot during this period,' Pogba said. 'I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children.' — AFP
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Disneyland Paris hosts €130,000 staged wedding for Ukrainian girl, now ‘groom' and organiser under fraud probe
PARIS, June 23 — French police were on Sunday probing the circumstances of a bizarre stunt at Disneyland outside of Paris, with a group of adults suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl. Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on Saturday that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. But investigators now believe that the so-called 'marriage' was staged, with the girl's mother reportedly saying that she wanted her to feel like a Disney 'princess' for the day. 'The event turned out to be a staged event, with the guests themselves extras' invited to be part of the stunt, deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney said. 'So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They hired Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding,' he told AFP. Four people were arrested and taken into custody, and the questioning of two of them – suspected of fraud and money laundering – was extended on Saturday evening. They are the so-called 'groom' who is believed to be behind the event, 22 years old and 'presumed to be British', and a Latvian woman, 24, said a source close to the case. However, the other two people detained – a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, and a 55-year-old Latvian man – were released. The investigations, including a medical examination of the nine-year-old girl, a Ukrainian national, found that 'she had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts,' the prosecutor's office said. According to the Le Parisien daily, which first reported the incident, a man had several weeks previously hired the Disneyland Paris complex for a sum of 130,000 euros (US$150,000) for several hours before it opened to the public. Staff were astonished when the nine-year-old appeared wearing high heels on Saturday morning, barely able to stand in the elaborate footwear, and they alerted the authorities, it said. The paper said the man who organised the event had submitted false documents concerning his identity and Disneyland filed a complaint. Hundreds of extras were bussed in to play the part of the guests, it said, while the girl's mother told investigators she wanted to organise a 'day worthy of a princess' for her daughter. — AFP
