Juventus and France midfielder, Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended from playing football due to an alleged anti-doping offence.
The allegation
The suspension was handed down by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal on Monday after Pogba returned a test with elevated levels of testosterone following Juventus’ 3-0 victory over Udinese on August 20.
France international Pogba, 30, was an unused substitute but was selected at random for post-match drug testing.
If Pogba is found guilty……
If found guilty of doping, he could face a ban of between two and four years.
The tribunal said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance ‘non-endogenous testosterone metabolites’.
Juventus said in a statement: ‘Juventus Football Club announces that today, 11 September 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 20 August, 2023.
‘The club reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps.’
Nado said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance ‘non-endogenous testosterone metabolites’ and the results were ‘consistent with the exogenous origin of the target compounds’.
What can Pogba do?
Pogba has three days to produce a counter-analysis of the result to Nado.
Juventus re-signed Pogba on a four-year deal in July 2022 after the player ran down his contract at Manchester United and left as a free agent.
However, Pogba’s return to Turin has been beset by persistent injury problems which also saw him miss last year’s World Cup in Qatar.
Pogba has played a combined total of 51 minutes as a substitute this season in games with Bologna and Empoli.
Last season he managed 108 minutes over six Serie A games, three brief appearances and one assist in the Europa League, and 11 minutes in the Coppa Italia – a total of 162 minutes and no goals.
