Paul Pogba, the former midfield player for Manchester United, is reportedly facing a four-year suspension from sport after testing positive for drugs in August of last year.
Following Juventus’s opening match of the season against Udinese, the 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone. On Thursday, the Italian anti-doping prosecutor’s office handed out a heavy sentence to the player, as reported by La Repubblica.
Pogba’s attorneys had turned down a plea agreement in an attempt to obtain their client a reduced sentence, arguing that Pogba had inadvertently consumed the material that resulted in the positive test.
Pogba’s defense was not accepted by the prosecution, though, and as a result, he was handed a ban that might terminate his career.
Pogba will turn 31 next month, which means he won’t be eligible to play again until he’s close to 35.
With his ban, Pogba, who was once the most expensive football player in the world, caps off a stunning fall from grace.
Pogba, who came through United’s academy, signed a free transfer to Juventus in 2012 and went on to win four consecutive Serie A championships there.
This persuaded the Red Devils to pay a record-breaking £89 million to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016.
Two years later, Pogba scored in the World Cup final between France and Croatia, but he never quite reached the same heights at United.
Pogba won the League Cup and Europa League with United during his six years back in England, but he was unable to elevate the team to the position of Premier League champions.
In 2022, he returned to Juventus on a free transfer with the goal of revitalizing his career, having previously left the 13-time Premier League champions.
However, his first year back in Turin turned out to be disastrous as an injury kept him out of the campaign for much of it.
Pogba missed the entire season because of hamstring, groin, and knee issues. He only started one game.
He was not utilized as a substitute in their 3-0 victory at Udinese despite being listed on the bench for their first game of the 2023–24 campaign.
He returned a test after that game, which resulted in a four-year suspension.
In October, Pogba asked to have his B-sample tested; however, the results were likewise positive, which prompted Juventus to consider ending Pogba’s contract.
Also read: Khama Billiat Gets R2 million Land Rover From Yadah FC
From the beginning, he insisted that he had no idea how the drug entered his system and that his goal was not to improve his performance in sports.
Pogba might not face such a harsh punishment, according to a prior Serie A case.
After testing positive for a diuretic in 2018, Cagliari’s Brazilian attacker Joao Pedro faces a four-year suspension. Pedro maintained that he had inadvertently ingested tainted food supplements, and excuse the pun.
He was consequently suspended for six months, the most of which was spent during the preseason.
©ZiMetro Sports
