Juventus midfielder, Pogba, risks 4-year ban after testing positive to banned drug

Former Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba,has been provisionally suspended from playing because of an anti-doping offence.

According to the BBC, Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) said Pogba returned a test with elevated levels of testosterone after Juve’s 3-0 win at Udinese on 20 August.

France international Pogba, 30, was an unused substitute but was selected at random for post-match drug testing.

If found guilty of doping, Pogba who now plays for Italian Serie A giants Juventus, could face a ban of between two and four years.

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”.

Testosterone is a hormone that increases the endurance level of athletes.

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 had been beset by persistent injury problems which also saw him miss last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

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