Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been handed a four-year ban from football after testing positive for testosterone.
Pogba was suspended in September 2023 after returning a positive sample following Juve’s 3-0 win over Udinese on August 20.
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A B sample in October confirmed the result and left Pogba facing an investigation from the National Anti-Doping Prosecutor’s Office, who requested the maximum sanction.
That sanction was upheld by the National Anti-Doping Tribunal, leaving Pogba, who has maintained he took the prohibited substance unwittingly, facing up to the fact his career is likely over although he will take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
As it stands, he won’t be able to play until 2027 with the ban backdated to the date of the failed test.
The French World Cup-winner has endured a miserable second spell at Juventus after re-joining from Manchester United at the end of the 2021-22 season.
He initially joined United in 2009 as a teenager before leaving for Juve in 2012.
He was lured back to Old Trafford in 2016 for a then world-record fee of £89million only to run down his contract and move back to Turin.
Pogba managed just 162 minutes of playing time in all competitions last season and made two substitute appearances this term.
He was placed on a special contract when initially suspended with Juve only willing to pay him the minimum allowed. And the club must now decide what to do with a player whose deal ends in June 2026.
