Mathias Pogba, brother of World Cup winner and former Manchester United midfielder Paul, was handed a three-year prison sentence — with two years suspended — by a Paris criminal court on Thursday in relation to an extortion and kidnapping case. Having already served time in detention, the remainder of his sentence will be carried out under house arrest with electronic surveillance.

The verdict aligns with the prosecution's request. His legal representative indicated that an appeal is likely.

"He is in a state of shock," stated lawyer Mbeko Tabula.. "From the outset, he has maintained his innocence. They did not take into account the fact that he has been manipulated, the fact that he has been forced to do things beyond his control."

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The trial proceeded without the presence of Paul, who is now out of contract and searching for a new club. A judge instructed Mathias and five other men to face trial following an investigation into whether Paul was subjected to extortion by Mathias and childhood friends in 2022.

Last month, Mathias was put on trial "for the offences of attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy." The five co-defendants demanded 13million euros (£10.7m) from the 31-year-old France player, who was confronted at gunpoint by masked men in March 2022.

The defendants persistently intimidated Paul, asserting that he should have supported them after his rise to international football stardom. They were charged with extortion, abduction and confinement to facilitate a crime, as well as criminal conspiracy.

Roushdane K., the alleged mastermind behind the blackmail, has been handed an eight-year prison sentence. The other defendants also received jail terms.

Court documents reveal that Paul suffered financial losses amounting to 197,000 euros (£164,000) and emotional distress valued at 50,000 euros (£41,000). All defendants, excluding Mathias, were ordered to collectively pay this sum to the ex-Juventus player. During the investigation, Paul admitted to paying 100,000 euros (£83,000) to the organised group, which included his brother.

The case came to light after Mathias threatened on social media to expose "explosive" revelations about his brother, fellow French footballer Kylian Mbappé, and Paul’s agent Rafaela Pimenta. Mathias himself is a footballer who spent most of his career with lower-tier teams in Europe.

Once considered one of the world's top midfielders, Paul has recently made headlines more for his off-field issues than his sporting prowess. This month, Juventus announced a "a mutual agreement" to terminate Paul's contract, despite having his doping ban reduced last month.

The Serie A club never seemed keen on welcoming Pogba back after his four-year ban for doping was cut to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Paul will be free to resume his career in March.

He tested positive for testosterone in August last year and was given the maximum penalty by Italy’s anti-doping court. However, CAS reduced Paul's ban, acknowledging that there was no intent on his part and that his positive test was due to mistakenly taking a supplement prescribed by a Florida-based doctor. Paul's contract with Juventus was set to run until June 2026.

In 2016, he became the most expensive footballer in history at the time when he transferred from Juventus to United for a fee of over £80million. He played a key role in France's World Cup victory in 2018 before returning to Juventus as a free agent in 2022.

However, injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second stint at the club prior to his suspension last year.