Paul Pogba was hit with a four-year suspension this week
(Image credit: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)
Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been suspended from football for four years for a doping offence.
The suspension was confirmed on Thursday and could spell the end of the former Manchester United man’s career, with the ban set to run until August 2027, when the France international will be 34 years old.
Here is what we know about the case and what the player himself has said about it.
What has Paul Pogba been banned for?
Pogba was initially suspended in September last year after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone in his system.
The Italian anti-doping authority (NADO) ruled that traces of the prohibited substance 'non-endogenous testosterone metabolites' were present in his test.
Following the initial results, Pogba and his team requested a counter-analysis of the findings, but the 30-year-old’s back-up samples also tested positive for a banned substance.
While testosterone is produced naturally by the body, added amounts can boost endurance, develop muscle mass and boost an athlete’s concentration.
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When was he allegedly doping?
The French World Cup winner was subject to random testing after Juventus’ first match of the current season, a 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20. Pogba was an unused substitute in that game, but did make two appearances off the bench before the initial suspension was announced.
Will he appeal?
Paul Pogba in action for France in the World Cup final in 2018 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yes, Pogba will be appealing the verdict, saying it is ‘incorrect’ and will take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Will the ban be reduced?
This will depend on the outcome of Pogba’s appeal, which is likely to be a fairly lengthy process. Previous cases have seen suspensions reduced if an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional or their samples were contaminated.
Should Pogba be successful in any appeal, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) would have the right to appeal that verdict, while it could also end up in the Swiss courts, as CAS falls under the jurisdiction of the Swiss federal courts.
That means this case could run and run. Journalist Julian Laurens, who knows the midfielder well, however, has suggested that Pogba’s appeal won't be successful.
“There’s a point with this when the A sample was positive and the B sample was positive again,” he said on talkSPORT, adding, “There’s no way out for him.”
Should his appeal fail, Pogba’s suspension will be over in August 2027. He will be 34 years old and without a club, as his current Juventus deal is due to run until June 2026 - but the Italian side will have the option to cancel his deal.
What has Pogba said?
Following the ruling, Pogba issued a statement, confirming that he will appeal the verdict as he insisted he ‘would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances.’
The statement read: “I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me. When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.
“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
