On Thursday morning, Paul Pogba’s future in football was cast into doubt as he received a huge four-year ban from the sport.
He tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ first game of the season and was given his punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor’s office in Italy on Thursday.
Pogba’s lawyers had rejected a plea deal and hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after claiming he had accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test, DHEA.
However, the prosecution did not believe Pogba’s defence, and he has now been given a ban that could potentially end his career.
Here, Mail Sport answers all the questions regarding his ban, the drug used and his potential return.
Paul Pogba’s future in football remains in doubt as he received a four-year ban from the sport
Pogba hardly played for Juventus after re-joining them in 2022, after struggling with injuries
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How long will the appeal take?
Just a few hours after the news of Pogba’s ban broke, the Frenchman released a brief statement that confirmed he will appeal the decision with sport’s highest legal authority.
He wrote: ‘As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.
‘As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).’
Typically, when cases are brought forward to CAS, they will do a thorough check of the evidence and see if it complies with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
However, if CAS agree with Pogba and uphold an appeal for him, then WADA also have the right to an appeal – meaning the process could go on for months.
But, if CAS disagree with Pogba’s claims – thus agreeing with the sanction handed down by the Italian national doping agency – then the appeal will come to an end.
Pogba asserted that he will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
What drug did he get banned for?
The 30-year-old tested positive for DHEA, a banned substance that boosts testosterone, after featuring in the opening game of this season against Udinese on August 20.
The substance is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list, carrying with it a maximum of four years if taken deliberately to enhance an athletes performance.
The drug is classed as an anabolic androgenic steroid, a class of hormones widely abused for their muscle-building and strength-increasing properties, according to the NHS.
Sources close to the situation have told Mail Sport that the positive test relates to a set of pills prescribed to Pogba by a US doctor.
The tablets were prescribed to the former Manchester United star at the end of November 2022.
Pogba was instructed to take the supplements, made by a US firm, after blood tests identified certain deficiencies in his body.
It is understood the fact he was advised to take the tablets on medical advice has formed the basis of Pogba’s defence in his efforts to avoid a lengthy ban.
The sanction makes it plausible that the Juventus midfielder’s career is now over
What has happened to other athletes who tested positive for the same substance?
Pogba was said to be irate at the length of the ban, the maximum penalty Italy’s anti doping court can impose, amid a belief the punishment is disproportionate with precedent.
In 2022, UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six month ban from the United States Anti-Doping agency after testing positive DHEA.
The lightweight was handed a six-month ban after testing positive for the substance.
His sentence was reduced by USADA due to his cooperation and a small amount of the performance enhancement substance being found.
The American fighter accepted responsibility for actions and said he did not realise that DHEA was a banned substance after seeing a video for it on YouTube and started taking the supplement after his wife bought it from a Supermarket.
In 2018, the Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, of Cagliari, faced a four-year ban after testing positive for a diuretic.
Pedro insisted he had unwittingly consumed contaminated food supplements and eventually saw his suspension cut to six-months.
Back in 2022, UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six month ban from the United States Anti-Doping agency after testing positive DHEA. The American accepted responsibility for actions
Will he retire?
There are question marks whether Pogba will ever return to the football pitch – given the fact he’ll be 35-years-old when his ban comes to an end.
The midfielder also struggled with a number of injuries during his first year back in Juventus, which casts even more doubt as to whether the Frenchman could return.
In total, Pogba played just 108 minutes in the league, 42 minutes in the Europa League and 11 minutes in the Italian Cup in the 2022-23 season – contributing virtually nothing to his team while his market value fell dramatically.
Pogba has a huge presence on social media, with 60million people following him on Instagram, and was expected to increase Juventus’s profile, but, in truth, his career was over from the moment he arrived in Turin.
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