Former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been handed a devastating blow to his football career after receiving a four-year ban for doping.
The ban, imposed by the National Anti-Doping Tribunal, effectively sidelines the player until at least 2028, marking the maximum punishment for such a violation.
A report by the tribunal states the Italy’s anti-doping prosecutor’s office had requested a four-year suspension, which was accepted on Thursday 29th 2024.
“The National Antidoping Tribunal informs that, in acceptance of the instance proposed by the National Antidoping Prosecutor, it has provided for the provisional suspension of the athlete: Paul Labile Pogba (FIGC) for the violation of articles 2.1, 2.2; prohibited substance detected: Non-endogenous testosterone metabolites (The GC/c/IRMS results are consistent with the exogenous origin of the target compounds),” reads part of the report.
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The sentence was handed down at the end of an unscheduled trial, just over a month after the original date of the hearing, scheduled for January 18 and then postponed.
Pogba’s disqualification was notified to Juventus.
Nonetheless, Pogba’s doping controversy surfaced in September when he failed a drug test while playing for Italian giants Juventus.
“Juventus Football Club announces that today, September 11, 2023, the footballer Paul Labile Pogba received a precautionary suspension order from the National Anti-Doping Tribunal following the results of tests carried out on August 20, 2023,” a statement from the Serie A side read.
Subsequent analysis of a secondary sample confirmed the initial findings, leading to the suspension of the talented midfielder.
Despite his appeal, the verdict has ultimately sealed his fate in the football world.
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Paul Pogba Career Faces Reality
At 30 years old, Pogba faces the possibility of sitting out the sport until he reaches the age of 35, effectively ending his career with Juventus, where his contract was set to expire in 2026.
His return to the club from Manchester United in 2022 as a free transfer has been marred by injuries and now tainted by this doping scandal, leading to a disastrous second stint with the Italian side.
With just two appearances for Juventus this season before his suspension, Pogba’s future in football appears bleak.
The once-promising midfielder, who helped lead France to World Cup victory in 2018, now faces the grim reality of never donning the national team jersey again.
With 91 caps and 11 goals to his name, Pogba’s international career seems to have come to an abrupt and ignominious end.
