Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has received a four-year ban from football due to a doping violation.
The 30-year-old, formerly of Manchester United, was provisionally suspended in September after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone following Juventus’ first match of the season on August 20.
The failed drugs test was confirmed in a second sample in October, leading to the anti-doping prosecutor’s office requesting a four-year suspension, which was subsequently upheld by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado).
Pogba is expected to appeal the decision, with Juventus confirming they received notification of the ban on Thursday.
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The ban, backdated to the date of the failed test, means Pogba will be ineligible to play until 2027, when he will be 33 years old.
Pogba maintains that any ingestion of a banned substance was unintentional.
His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, emphasized that Pogba never intended to violate any rules.
The violation was attributed to the presence of prohibited non-endogenous testosterone metabolites in Pogba’s test results, indicating an external source of the substances.
Pogba rejoined Juventus in July 2022 on a four-year deal after leaving Manchester United as a free agent.
His return to Turin has been marred by recurring injury issues, which also prevented him from participating in the 2022 World Cup.
Since his return to Juventus, Pogba has struggled with injuries, playing a total of 51 minutes as a substitute in games against Bologna and Empoli this season.
Last season, he managed just 162 minutes of playing time across Serie A, Europa League, and Coppa Italia matches, failing to score any goals.
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