Paul Pogba banned: FIFA World Cup winner handed four-year ban for doping

Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal in September after testing positive for testosterone - a banned substance.

France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years  | Photo Credit: AP

France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for a doping offence earlier this season.

Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal in September after testing positive for testosterone - a banned substance.

The test, performed after Juve’s 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on August 20, detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance. The 30-year-old was an unused substitute in that game.

Pogba’s positive doping test was also confirmed in a counter-analysis on a second sample in October.

Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain with Italy’s anti-doping agency and so the case was tried before the country’s anti-doping court. A person with direct knowledge of the case confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the sentence was not made public due to Italy’s privacy laws.

Juventus did not comment, but a source confirmed that the club had been notified about the decision of a four-year ban and would assess the next steps.

Pogba could appeal the decision to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The sentence could end Pogba’s career, as the France international turns 31 next month.

Four-year bans are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination or if they provide “substantial assistance” to help investigators.

The Frenchman has had a torrid second spell with Juve due to injuries since he returned to the Turin-based outfit following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.

The 2018 World Cup winner barely played last season due to knee and hamstring injuries as well as knee surgery, which prevented him from playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar.

(with inputs from AP)