Paul Pogba is facing a maximum four-year ban if authorities in Italy are successful in their bid to suspend the Juventus star after he failed a doping test last August.
The French midfielder is currently provisionally suspended by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal Nado after testing positive for testosterone metabolites.
The B-sample of Pogba’s initial drug test came back positive for the same substance, DHEA, and has been waiting on the sidelines for a verdict.
This has not stopped Italian authorities from calling for Pogba to be suspended from football for four years, a mandatory ban for players breaking world anti-doping rules, which would keep the former Manchester United player out of action until the age of 34.
In the immediate aftermath upon hearing Pogba’s provisional suspension last August, Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, is “certain” that the France international “never wanted to break a rule”.
Tennis player Simona Halep was banned from playing after she failed a doping test, testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat, but is pleading her innocence and taking the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) case to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS).
Pogba has struggled to find playing time since his return to Juventus in August 2022, mainly due to injuries. A potential ban from the sport may also include the Turin club terminating his contract, which runs until 2026.
The player is expected to hear his verdict in the early stages of 2024, where a plea deal may be included.
