A Paris court convicted a brother of French international footballer Paul Pogba and five others on Thursday (Dec 19) of attempting to extort the World Cup winner, French media reported.

Mathias Pogba received a three-year sentence, with two of them suspended, after being found guilty of organised extortion and attempted extortion, the daily L'Equipe said.

He will not serve time behind bars but must wear an electronic bracelet for a year, it said.

The other five defendants, some of them childhood friends, were handed sentences ranging from three to eight years.

Paul Pogba, who played for English club Manchester United and Italy's Juventus, said he had been the target of extortion in March 2022 and that he had handed over 100,000 euros (S$141,000) to those who had threatened him.

Mbeko Tabula, a lawyer for Mathias Pogba, was quoted by RMC Sport as saying his client was in shock and would appeal.

"From the start he has maintained his innocence," he said. "He says he was manipulated, coerced and pressured, that he would never have acted negatively towards his brother."

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