Juventus and French national team midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for doping. The news was confirmed by the Bianconeri.
The Anti-Doping Tribunal of Italy (TNA) accepted the request of the Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office to impose a four-year ban on the footballer, which is also the standard ban according to the International Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The ban begins from the moment Pogba tested positive, so the France international is banned until August, 2027. When the ban expires, he will be 34 years old, making it doubtful whether he will continue his professional career.
According to Sky in Italy, Pogba will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. If this happens, WADA will in turn appeal the decision of the CAS. A final decision may be taken in the Swiss courts.
It will be recalled that the 30-year-old was suspended as a precaution in September after he tested positive for testosterone metabolites last August following Juventus' match with Udinese on August 20. The French national did not take part in the match in question, but was on the bench of the "Old Lady".
Sky Sports News reported in October that Pogba would fight to clear his name after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a substance that stimulates the production of hormones in the body, including testosterone. The Frenchman's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, insisted that "Paul never wanted to break the rules".
After his initial punishment, Pogba requested a counter-analysis of the positive sample, but these results also confirmed the use of doping. In December, anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested the maximum penalty of four years out of football. The penalty can be reduced if the offender proves that the use of the substance was not intentional, was the result of contamination, or if he can provide "significant assistance" to help investigators. /BGNES
