Gab and Juls discuss Paul Pogba’s four-year ban following a doping offence. (1:18)
France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for 4 years for doping.
Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal (NADO Italia) in September after testing positive for the banned substance testosterone.
Italian prosecutors requested a four-year ban in December.
The 2018 World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ match against Udinese on August 20, 2023. He did not yet take part in the match on the bench.
In a statement, Pogba said he would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and insisted he had never used banned substances.
“I have informed today of the decision of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping and I believe that the verdict is incorrect,” Pogba said.
“I’m sad, shocked and heartbroken because everything I’ve built in my career as a professional player has been taken away from me.
“When I am released from legal restrictions, the whole story will be cleared up, but I have never taken, knowingly or intentionally, supplements that violated anti-doping rules.
“As a professional athlete, I would never do anything to my functionality using banned ingredients and I have never disrespected or misled other athletes and enthusiasts of the teams I have played for or against.
“From today’s decision, I will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “
Pogba opted to negotiate a settlement with Italy’s anti-doping agency, so the case went to trial before the country’s anti-doping tribunal. A user with direct knowledge of the case showed the verdict to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the verdict has been made public due to Italian privacy laws.
Four-year bans are the norm under the World Anti-Doping Code, but can be reduced in cases where an athlete may be found to have been unintentional doping, if the positive result is the result of contamination, or if it provides “substantial aid. “”To lend a hand to the researchers. . .
Pogba, 30, will return to Juventus in 2022 after his second spell at Manchester United. Since his return to Italy, he has been hampered by injuries. He made 178 appearances for Juventus from 2012 to 2016.
He was ruled out of France’s participation in the 2022 World Cup final due to a knee injury.
Pogba helped France win the World Cup, scoring in a 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.
A police investigation is also underway in France into allegations that Pogba was subjected to extortion, added by his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters used in this story.