Football: Paul Pogba suspended four years for doping

French international from Juventus Turin Paul Pogba, who tested positive for testosterone in August 2023, was sentenced to four years of suspension by the Italian anti-doping court, the maximum penalty incurred, the club announced to AFP on Thursday. “We received notification from the court this morning,” a source within Juventus told AFP, saying they “take note” of the court’s decision.

The latter followed the prosecution's requisitions against the 30-year-old midfielder, world champion in 2018 with the Blues, the maximum penalty according to the World Anti-Doping Code. Contacted by AFP, the Italian anti-doping court has not yet taken action.

Pogba, 30, tested positive in August 2023, during the match between Udinese and Juventus, counting for the first day of the Italian Championship, in which he did not participate. The midfielder, whose 2022-23 season was disrupted by injuries and extra-sporting problems, was provisionally suspended on September 11, before the second opinion he had requested confirmed less than one month later the presence of testosterone metabolites.

To explain this positive anti-doping test, the entourage of “La Pioche” had indicated that the testosterone metabolites would come from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor, whom the player consulted in the United States. Testosterone, the hormone of fertility and male sexuality, promotes muscle development.

Pogba, who will turn 31 on March 15, has indicated through his representatives that he will appeal this sanction. But more than ever, a big doubt hangs over the continuation of his career, knowing that Juventus, with which he is linked until the summer of 2026, can now terminate their contract, due to this suspension, in particular in order to save on salary.

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