Juventus’ midfielder, Paul Pogba, has returned an adverse finding for testosterone in a recent doping test, as confirmed by Italy’s anti-doping agency on Monday.
This test was conducted following Juventus’ match against Udinese on August 20. Although Pogba did not participate in the Serie A fixture, he was present on the Juventus bench.
Italy’s anti-doping agency, Nado Italia, swiftly imposed a provisional suspension on Pogba, effective immediately. Pending further investigation and confirmation through the analysis of a backup B sample, Pogba faces the possibility of a suspension of up to four years.
Nado Italia released a statement, stating, “In response to the request made by the National Anti-doping Prosecutor, the athlete Paul Labile Pogba has been provisionally suspended.”
The tribunal overseeing the case declared that Pogba had breached anti-doping regulations after detecting “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites,” indicating a potential exogenous origin of these prohibited substances.
Juventus acknowledged the positive test result and subsequent suspension in an official statement, indicating their intention to assess the upcoming legal procedures.
Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, commented on the situation, saying, “We are awaiting the results of the confirmatory analysis, and until then, we cannot make any further statements. What we can say with certainty is that Paul Pogba had no intention of violating any rules.”
This development adds to the challenges faced by Paul Pogba, who has been plagued by injuries since his return to Juventus from Manchester United just over a year ago. He missed France’s journey to the World Cup final last year due to a knee injury.
Additionally, there has been an ongoing police investigation in France regarding allegations of extortion targeting Pogba, including accusations involving his older brother, Mathias, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Earlier on the same day, Pogba even mentioned considering retirement as these events unfolded.
So far this season, Pogba has yet to start a game but has made two substitute appearances, with his most recent being in the 2-0 victory against Empoli.
This latest development further compounds Juventus’ woes, as the club has already faced legal scrutiny over issues related to false accounting and irregular reporting of salary payments. These legal matters led to UEFA’s decision to exclude the Turin club from European competitions this season.
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