Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is facing a provisional suspension due to an anti-doping violation, as confirmed by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado). The tribunal revealed that Pogba returned a test result indicating elevated levels of testosterone after Juventus’ 3-0 victory over Udinese on August 20.
Pogba, a 30-year-old French international, was randomly selected for post-match drug testing despite not participating in the match and being on the bench as an unused substitute. If found guilty of doping, he could potentially face a ban ranging from two to four years.
Juventus issued a statement, saying, “Juventus Football Club announces that today, September 11, 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 August 20, 2023. The club reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps.”
Nado reported that Pogba’s test results indicated the presence of “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites,” which are prohibited substances. These findings suggested that the origin of the target compounds was external to the player. Testosterone is a hormone known to enhance athletes’ endurance.
Pogba has been given three days to provide a counter-analysis of the test results to Nado.
Paul Pogba returned to Juventus on a four-year contract in July 2022 after leaving Manchester United as a free agent. However, his return has been marred by persistent injury issues, which also caused him to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
This season, Pogba has played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute in games against Bologna and Empoli. In the previous season, he managed only 162 minutes across various competitions due to injury problems. His recent setbacks include a minor back problem following his appearance against Empoli, according to Juventus boss Massimo Allegri.
