In August of last year, star midfielder Paul Pogba tested positive for doping after Juventus’ meeting with Udinese in Serie A. A couple of months later, the b-test showed the same result.
The prosecutor at the Italian Anti-Doping Agency has requested the maximum penalty: a four-year suspension from all football. And so it will be.
On Thursday, it became official that Pogba’s suspension has been set at four years. Thus, the star will not be back on the field until the spring of 2028 at the earliest.
Pogba writes in a statement that he is “sad, shocked and devastated”. He also announces that he will appeal the verdict to Cas, the sport’s special court of arbitration.
“I consider the judgment to be incorrect,” writes Pogba and continues:
“Everything I have built up during my professional playing career has been taken away from me. When I am free from all legal restrictions, the whole story will become clear, but I have never knowingly taken any substance that violates the anti-doping rules”.
La Gazzetta dello Sport has previously stated that Pogba tested positive for unusually high levels of testosterone. The Frenchman and his lawyers have denied the allegations and claimed the 30-year-old had no intention of ingesting any illegal substances. However, according to the defense, he has admitted that he took a dietary supplement from a friend during a trip to the United States.
However, Pogba never checked that the dietary supplement was approved by Juventus.
Last year, La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that the Italian giant will break the star’s contract, which runs until 2026. The club has been waiting for the official verdict, which has now fallen.
Teammate Adrien Rabiot recently testified about how the doping situation has taken its toll on Pogba:
– He is confused, but I think we all are by the situation. He’s a great player, a great person. To go through everything he’s gone through… it would be very difficult for anybody,” Rabiot said last November.
Pogba returned to Juventus from Manchester United in 2022. The star has won a number of titles at club level and also has a World Cup gold medal from 2018 with the French national team to his credit.
On March 15, Pogba turns 31. The Frenchman will therefore be just a few weeks from 35 when the ban is lifted in four years.