Paul Pogba handed four-year ban for doping offence

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Paul Pogba received a four-year football ban due to a violation of doping regulations.

Back in September, the midfielder for France and Juventus found himself temporarily prohibited from playing after his test results showed testosterone in his system. This particular player, known as Pogba, got the chance to celebrate a victory when he and his team won the World Cup in 2018. Interestingly enough, he also holds the title for being the most costly football player in history. This is because Manchester United acquired his services for a whopping £89 million.

Pogba, who is going to be 31 in March, did not get to play for Juventus in a Serie A match against Udinese on 20 August because he was found to have taken testosterone, which is prohibited.

The organization in charge of preventing doping in Italy suspended Pogba after he was found guilty. Additionally, the sports prosecutor of the country asked for a punishment of four years, which was the harshest penalty they could give, and it was approved.

Pogba plans to challenge their verdict at the ultimate sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. Nonetheless, a suspension of four years may possibly result in the conclusion of his top-level career.

A court ruled that Pogba breached the anti-doping regulations as they discovered banned substances entitled "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites". The findings suggested that the origin of the target compounds was not from within his body.

According to Pogba's representative, Pogba affirmed after his first suspension that he did not intentionally violate the regulations.

If Italy's anti-doping tribunal wanted to impose a four-year ban on Pogba, then they would have had to prove that he intentionally consumed a prohibited substance. Testosterone is a hormone that enhances an athlete's stamina and physical abilities.

France's triumph in the 2018 World Cup included Pogba as part of their victorious team.

In the month of October, a re-evaluation conducted on another test specimen collected from Pogba showed a favorable outcome for testosterone.

Juventus hasn't provided any remarks regarding Pogba's suspension for four years. However, back in September when Pogba's temporary ban was announced, the Italian team mentioned that they would examine "the following procedural measures".

In 2022, Juventus obtained the services of Pogba at no cost when his agreement with Manchester United came to an end. They secured him for four years.

Last season, Pogba was only able to start one game for Juventus because he suffered from repeated knee and hamstring injuries. As a result, he was unable to play in the Qatar World Cup as well.

Pogba's exceptional displays in the midfield and guidance off the pitch were crucial in securing France's victory at the World Cup in Russia back in 2018.

When Manchester United decided to bring Pogba back to their team from Juventus in 2016, they knew they were reacquiring one of the best players in the world. That's why they were willing to break the world transfer record to make it happen. Pogba's exceptional skills and talent have made him a top athlete in the sport, and his reputation continues to grow.

Manchester United made a tremendous investment of £89 million in 2016 to secure the signing of Pogba, which set a new record for the highest transfer fee in the world.

However, his return to Old Trafford didn't meet the expectations as the club was going through a rough patch with a lack of stability and underwhelming performances.

Over a period of six years, Pogba was victorious in the Europa League and Carabao Cup; nonetheless, Manchester United was unable to consistently contend for the most prestigious awards.

Pogba went back to Juventus, where he proved himself as an exhilarating midfielder in the globe and achieved four Serie A championships during 2012 until 2016, however, he had a hard time dealing with injuries.

Pogba's most recent performance for Juventus was on the 3rd of September.

Following his absence from the World Cup in December 2022, Pogba aimed to rejoin the Juventus squad come August for the beginning of the season.

On the first day of the season, he didn't get the chance to play in Juventus's 3-0 victory over Udinese. However, he was able to make some appearances as a substitute player in the matches against Bologna and Empoli.