Paul Pogba, a midfielder for Juventus and France, has been suspended from sports for four years due to a doping offense.
Pogba tested positive for testosterone, a drug that is prohibited, in September, and as a result, the Italian national anti-doping tribunal (NADO Italia) temporarily suspended him.
In December, Italian prosecutors asked for a maximum four-year ban.
On August 20, 2023, following Juventus’ match against Udinese, Pogba tested positive for testosterone. He was on the bench for the game instead of playing.
Pogba is reportedly planning to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the decision. ESPN has requested a statement from Pogba’s agents.
Because Pogba declined to enter into a plea agreement with Italy’s anti-doping organization, the matter was heard by the anti-doping court in that nation. Because Italy’s privacy regulations prevented the punishment from being made public, a person with intimate knowledge of the case confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity.
The World Anti-Doping Code stipulates that athletes face four-year suspensions, but this can be shortened if they can demonstrate that their doping was accidental, if contamination caused the positive test, or if they offer “substantial assistance” to investigators.
Pogba, 30, left Manchester United for a second time and joined Juventus again in 2022. He has been plagued by ailments ever since arriving back in Italy. For Juventus, he participated in 178 games between 2012 and 2016.
His knee injury prevented him from participating in France’s 2022 World Cup run.
Additionally, claims that Pogba was the target of extortionists, including his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing, are the subject of an ongoing police investigation in France.
