France’s 2018 World Cup-winning midfielder Paul Pogan has been handed a four-year ban for a doping offense.
The Juventus player was banned by Italy’s national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal in September after testing positive for testosterone — a banned substance. Italian prosecutors requested a maximum four-year ban in December.
The 2018 World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ game against Udinese on Aug. 20, 2023. He did not play in the match but was on the bench.
Juventus told the BBC they received notification from the anti-doping tribunal on Thursday morning. The former Manchester United player has said he would appeal.
Paul Pogba “shocked” by suspension
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.” Pogba said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Pogba said he would look to appeal against the ban, “As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
But for now the ban means Pogba will be unable to play until 2027, which means he could miss out on the next World Cup, while his place in France’s Euro 2024 squad is definitely under a cloud, even if the appeal is successful.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
