France’s star player, Paul Pogba, has received a four-year ban from football by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal for testing positive for testosterone in August, according to his club Juventus.
A club spokesman confirmed that they were informed of the decision against the 30-year-old World Cup champion, who was suspended in September.
“We received notification from the tribunal this morning,” the spokesman said. Italy’s anti-doping body did not immediately respond when contacted, according to AFP.
Pogba has stated that he plans to appeal the ruling, which could potentially cut short his career.
“I am sad, shocked, and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” he posted on Instagram.
<p>He declared the verdict as “incorrect” and denied ever using performance-enhancing substances.
“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations”, he insisted.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
As a result of the ban, Pogba will be unable to play until the 2027/28 season, when he will be 34 years old.
Anti-doping prosecutors had requested a four-year ban for the former Manchester United midfielder after he tested positive for testosterone following Juventus’s match against Udinese on August 20. He was an unused substitute in that game.
A month later, a B sample confirmed the presence of testosterone, leading to his provisional suspension.
Pogba’s representatives claimed that the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor in the United States.
The ban could have been reduced to two years if Pogba could prove his innocence, or even just a few months if the substance was used “out of competition and not related to his performance level.”<
Pogba, who returned to Juventus in 2022 after six years at United, was a key player in France’s World Cup victory in Russia in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia.
After a tough first season back at Juventus, where he struggled with fitness issues and only played 10 games, Paul Pogba faced a positive doping test. This setback came after missing the World Cup due to injury.
Pogba had made two substitute appearances for Juventus at the beginning of the current season before being suspended.
On the other hand, Pogba, who started his career at Le Havre and moved to Manchester United at 16 in 2009, has been dealing with off-field problems.
An investigation is ongoing in France regarding an extortion attempt against him in March 2022, involving a break-in at his home in the Paris suburbs.
Reportedly, two intruders held Pogba captive, demanding 13 million euros ($14.1 million).
Pogba’s older brother Mathias and some childhood friends are suspects in the case.
His contract with Juventus, valued at eight million euros ($8.7 million) per year, is valid until 2026.
However, he has been unable to train since the positive test announcement, leading Juventus to stop paying his salary.
Pogba had a successful spell at Juventus from 2012 to 2016, winning four Serie A titles and reaching the Champions League final in 2015.
He returned to Manchester United in 2016 for a then-record fee of 105 million euros, winning the Europa League and League Cup in his first season back under Jose Mourinho.
Pogba has earned 91 caps for France, playing in the Euro 2016 final and winning the World Cup in 2018.
