Paul Pogba ‘Banned From Football for Four Years Due to Doping’

Highlights

• Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba reportedly receives a four-year ban from football for failing an anti-doping test.
• Testosterone not produced by body detected in Pogba’s sample; ban could end his professional career.
• Pogba’s career has been declining, unable to replicate World Cup form at club level.

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years due to doping, according to reports from Italy, and relayed by Fabrizio Romano.

The France international failed an anti-doping test last summer. It was deemed that he was fit enough to play in a 3-0 win over Udinese on 20th August 2023; however, he was tested after the game, which then sparked an investigation.

It’s understood that testosterone not produced by the body was detected in the test, and so Pogba was provisionally suspended by the Italian anti-doping authority (NADO). After his initial test failed, his “B sample” was sent for further tests at the Acqua Acetosa clinic in Rome. That sample confirmed the bad news for the 30-year-old midfielder, and he’s now been hit with a major ban which could spell the end of his professional career.

Pogba’s career has been on a major decline over the last few years. Despite winning the World Cup with France in 2018, he was unable to replicate that form at club level. His world record €110m (£93.2m) move to Manchester United in 2016 was viewed largely as a disappointment. He returned to the Serie A giants on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, but injuries have limited his playing time in Turin.

Anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested the ban in December

Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain

Sky Sports reported back in December that Anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested a maximum four-year ban for the Frenchman. Pogba – who is yet to make a public comment on the case – opted not to make a plea bargain with Italy’s anti-doping agency, which meant the case was to be tried before the country’s anti-doping court.

Pogba, 30, turns 31 next month, and it’s difficult to see the Frenchman compete at a high level again. While a four-year ban seems like a long time, the length of it is actually standard under the World Anti-Doping Code.

These times can also be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was unintentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination, or if they provide ‘substantial assistance’ to help investigators.

After the Frenchman was provisionally suspended in September, Juventus manager Maximilliano Allegri revealed he felt “sorry” for Pogba. Via a report from the BBC, the Italian said: “I am sorry for Pogba. A procedure is underway, there are people involved and it is right to wait for the end of the proceedings. He has been suspended, [so] let’s wait for the ruling and then I will be able to say what changes for Juve.

“Paul will not be with us against Lazio and [the following game at] Sassuolo and then we’ll see. Right now, however, we have to stay focused on the players we have”.

Pogba’s dramatic decline