Pogba confirms four-year ban for positive doping test
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is facing the end of his career.
“Pogba has been banned from soccer for four years for doping,” European soccer expert Fabrizio Romano said on social media on Monday (Feb. 29).
British media outlet BBC also reported the news of Pogba’s suspension. “The ruling means Pogba will not be able to play until 2027, when he will be 33, and the ban is retroactive to the date of the positive test,” the BBC said.
Pogba was provisionally suspended in August after a doping test conducted after the home opener against Odinese revealed high levels of testosterone in his system.
Testosterone, also known as the male hormone, is a common doping substance. Testosterone increases muscle recovery and endurance. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) considers it a banned substance and has strong penalties.
Normally, doping tests take two urine samples, A and B, to improve accuracy. Pogba’s A sample tested positive, and then the B sample, which was requested by Pogba’s camp, also tested positive.
According to the BBC, Pogba maintains his innocence. If he did take it, he says it was by mistake.
“What is clear is that he never intended to break the rules,” said Pogba’s agent, Raffaela Pimenta, at the time of his first suspension.
Many believe that Pogba’s career is effectively over. He has lost the 토토 most important 20s of his career, and even if he returns, he will have to adapt to the league in his mid-30s, when his skills and fitness have diminished.
Pogba came up through the Manchester United youth ranks before moving to Italian side Juventus in 2012 to fulfill his potential. Pogba became a superstar at Juventus and returned to his hometown club in 2016 for a record-breaking transfer fee of €150 million.
However, he was unable to integrate into Jose Mourinho’s system, and a series of injuries and underperformance turned him into a liability.
After returning to Juventus as a free agent in 2022, Pogba resurfaced this season, only to have his contract terminated after testing positive for doping.