French star Paulo Pogba's club Juventus said on February 29 that he tested positive for hormones last AugustThe Italian Anti-Doping Tribunal imposed a four-year ban, he felt about it".Shock and heartbreak
A spokesman for the club told AFP that they had been notified of the decision against the 30-year-old World Cup winner, who had been suspended from the tournament last September.
We received a notice from the court on the morning of February 29," the spokesperson said. When AFP contacted Italy's anti-doping agency, it did not respond immediately.
Pogba has announced that he will appeal the ruling, which could lead to the premature end of his career.
He posted on Instagram that ".I am saddened, shocked, and heartbroken as everything I have built over the course of my professional career has been taken from me.
He declared the verdict "incorrect" and denied that grade-enhancing substances had been used.
The whole story becomes clear when I get rid of the legal restrictions, but I have never intentionally or intentionally taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations", he insisted.
In accordance with the decision announced on February 29, I will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. ”
The ban means Pogba won't be able to play again until the 2027 28 season, when he will be 34 years old.
Anti-doping prosecutors have called for a four-year ban on the former Manchester United midfielder, who tested positive after Juventus' opening match against Udinese in the Serie A game on 20 August last year, in which he did not play as a substitute.
A month later, the presence of testosterone was confirmed in sample B, after which he was temporarily suspended.
Pogba's representative stated that the hormone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.
If Pogba can prove that he is not at fault, then the ban could be limited to two years, and even a few months if the use of the substance is "outside of competition and not related to his level". ”
Pogba returned to Juventus for the second time in 2022 after six years at Manchester United, where he was a key member of the 2018 World Cup winners France in Russia and scored in the final against Croatia.
His positive doping test comes as he tries to shake off a difficult first season at Juventus, where he struggled with health issues, making just 10 appearances and missing out on France's World Cup defence in Qatar through injury.
At the start of the season, he made two substitutes for Juventus before being suspended.
The head coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, said that he ". .Unthinkable"Pogba".There is an intention and desire to take drugs
Deschamps said in a statement: ".What Pogba has been through for a few months has been very difficult and given what he's achieved, I obviously can't remain indifferent to his pain.
Pogba, meanwhile, was a youth player for Le Havre before first moving to Manchester United in 2009 at the age of 16 and has been plagued by off-field problems.
France is investigating an extortion attempt against him in March 2022 involving the burglary of his home on the outskirts of Paris.
Pogba was allegedly seized against his will by two intruders demanding 13 million euros.
Pogba's older brother, Matthias, is one of the suspects, along with the family's childhood friends.
His contract with Juventus is reportedly worth €8 million per season and runs until 2026.
However, he has not been able to participate in training since the news of his positive test was announced, and Juventus have suspended the payment of his salary.
Pogba made just a handful appearance in his first season in England before becoming a Juventus star between 2012 and 2016.
During that time, he won four consecutive Serie A titles and played for Juventus, but lost to Barcelona in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final.
In 2016, he won with 1He returned to Manchester United for €0.5 billion, setting a world transfer fee record at the time, and won the Europa League and League Cup in his first season under Jose Mourinho.
Pogba has made 91 appearances for France, reaching the Euro 2016 final with the team and winning the World Cup two years later.