International Football
Paul Pogba extortion case takes bizarre twist 
A police investigation into allegations that France midfielder Paul Pogba was targeted by extortionists took a bizarre new twist Friday with his elder brother Mathias releasing a long string of videos taking aim at the 2018 World Cup winner, his entourage and wealthy lifestyle.
More than 30 videos of Mathias Pogba reading a statement many pages long were posted on Twitter.
It is not clear when the videos were filmed. Mathias Pogba was charged in connection with an alleged organised armed extortion attempt against his brother, who plays for Juventus, after he turned himself in for police questioning last week. He has since been held in custody.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to a series of questions by the Associated Press.
“If you are watching this video that will be because my brother Paul Pogba has found a way to silence me,” Mathias Pogba said. “I record this video so that whatever happens, everything is revealed.”
The words “insurance video, held in a safe place” were written on top of many of the videos. They followed through on previous social media posts where Mathias Pogba had threatened to make explosive revelations about his brother.
Mathias Pogba and four others were handed preliminary charges last Saturday and jailed in the extortion probe, French prosecutors said.
In the latest series of recordings, Mathias Pogba accused his brother of having abandoned members of their family, leaving them in poverty.
He also claimed that the midfielder mixed with criminals, and he repeated claims that Paul Pogba employed a witch doctor. He did not bring any proof to substantiate his accusations.
According to Mathias Pogba’s latest claims, the witch doctor is close to former France international Alou Diarra, and Paul Pogba was introduced to him by former Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier.
He said that over the years the France midfielder has spent millions for the services of the witch doctor, asking him for instance to help France win the 2018 World Cup or to cast spells on rival footballers.
Mathias Pogba had previously said that his brother had targeted Kylian Mbappe without being more specific. In his latest videos, he claimed that Paul Pogba asked the witch doctor to “neutralise” Mbappe for the return leg of a Champions League match between PSG and Manchester United back in 2019. United had won that game 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The videos were also accompanied by a series of Twitter posts and a statement addressed to Paul Pogba. The first post in the long thread said it had been sent automatically by “my bot.”
“That also means that I am no longer free,” the message read.
Mathias Pogba said his life is now in danger because his brother has “betrayed his henchmen,” who are taking aim at his entourage in retribution. Mathias Pogba said that some of his relatives “have already been assaulted and shot at” because of his brother.
The Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation last month into allegations that Paul Pogba was the target of an extortion plot by his brother and childhood friends demanding €13 million from him. Mathias Pogba has denied taking part in the scheme.
Mathias Pogba, 32, is a free agent after leaving French fourth-division side Belfort in April. He has also enjoyed spells at a number of other clubs across Europe.
-AP
In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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