Doping: Paul Pogba Banned from Football for 4 Years
Former Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, has been handed a 4-year ban from football after failing a drugs test last August.
The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventusβs first game of the season against Udinese, and was given his hefty punishment by an anti-doping prosecutorβs office in Italy on Thursday.
Pogbaβs 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.
However, the prosecution did not believe Pogbaβs defence, and he has now been given a ban that could potentially end his career.
Pogba has confirmed his intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Pogba will turn 31 next month, meaning he would not be able to return to the pitch until he is almost 35, unless his appeal his successful.
Pogbaβs suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.
After coming through Unitedβs academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and proceeded to win four straight Serie A titles.
