Juventus player Paul Pogba is 'shocked' by his four-year Doping ban

Paul Pogba, the Juventus midfielder, expressed his feelings of sadness, shock, and heartbreak upon receiving a four-year ban from football due to a doping violation.

The 30-year-old France international was temporarily suspended in September following a positive drugs test that revealed high levels of testosterone in his system.

In a statement, he expressed his frustration at losing everything he had worked for in his professional career.

The ex-Manchester United player mentioned he plans to appeal.

Pogba underwent a random test following Juventus’ first match of the season on 20 August.

A positive test was confirmed by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal in a second sample in October, and the anti-doping prosecutor’s office requested a four-year suspension.

Juventus informed the BBC that they were notified by the anti-doping tribunal on Thursday morning.

Pogba expressed his belief that the verdict was inaccurate and stated that he would never intentionally use doping substances.

“The full story will become clear when I am free of legal restrictions,” he stated.

“I am committed to maintaining my integrity as a professional athlete and always strive to compete fairly and respectfully with my fellow athletes and supporters.”

This decision implies that Pogba will not be able to participate in any matches until 2027, at which point he will be 33 years old. The suspension will be applied retroactively to the day of the failed test.

During the initial suspension, Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, stated: “It’s certain that Paul Pogba never intended to violate any rules.”

Testosterone is a hormone known to enhance athletes’ endurance.

Nado stated that Pogba was found to have violated rules by having prohibited substances in his system that were not naturally produced by the body.

Juventus brought back Pogba on a four-year contract in July 2022 following his departure from Manchester United as a free agent.

He previously played for the Italian giants from 2012-16, making 178 appearances across all competitions and scoring 34 goals, before joining United for a then-world record transfer fee of £89.3m.

The return of the 2018 World Cup winner to Turin has been plagued by ongoing injury issues, resulting in his absence from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

This season, Pogba has accumulated 51 minutes on the pitch as a substitute in matches against Bologna and Empoli.

During the previous season, he accumulated a total of 162 minutes across various competitions, including Serie A, Europa League, and Coppa Italia, without scoring any goals.