World Cup winner Paul Pogba paid €100,000 to an organised group including his brother that was trying to extort him for millions, French officials said on Tuesday.

French prosecutors are investigating allegations that Pogba was the target of extortion by his brother Mathias Pogba and childhood friends.

They demanded 13 million euros from the France midfielder, and repeatedly intimidated him, claiming he didn’t support them after he became an international star. An official close to the investigation confirmed that Pogba told investigators he had already paid €100,000.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with official practice during an ongoing investigation. According to French media reports, Paul Pogba told investigators the extortionists wanted to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch-doctor to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappe.

Paul Pogba denied the allegation. Mathias Pogba on Sunday appeared to address the witch-doctor claim in a Twitter post, directed at Mbappe: “Kylian, do you understand now? I have nothing against you, what I am saying is for your own good, everything is true and known, the witch doctor is known!”

Mbappe has not commented on the scandal that appears to stem from a family feud. The president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, downplayed the scandal that includes two of France’s stars just four months before the World Cup.