Paul Pogba, France’s 2018 World Cup Champion, Receives Four-Year Doping Ban (Ld)

France’s World Cup winner and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years after failing a dope test in August last year. The Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal confirmed the punishment on Thursday. Pogba tested positive for DHEA, a banned substance, after a Serie A match for Juventus.

Former AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran shared the news revealing, “Paul Pogba has been suspended from football for four years after a failed anti-doping test. He was initially suspended by NADO in September following a test after Juventus’s win at Udinese.”

Pogba claimed the banned substance was ‘unintentional’, but his defense was rejected by Italian prosecutors. The National Anti-Doping Tribunal gave him the maximum punishment. His ban will start in September 2023 and end in August 2027, leaving his Juventus career in ruins.

Pogba, who rejoined Juventus from Manchester United in 2022, will likely be unable to play for major clubs when his ban ends. His management team intends to challenge the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Pogba’s international playing career also seems to be in jeopardy after this ban.