The second opinion requested by Juventus Turin French midfielder Paul Pogba confirmed the presence of testosterone in the samples taken in August, a source with knowledge of the matter told Agence France-Presse on Friday, October 6, confirming information from the Italian press.
Aged 30, Pogba has been provisionally suspended since September 11. He now faces a four-year suspension, which could however be reduced by half if he manages to demonstrate non-intentionality. Testosterone is a hormone that is used in a medical setting to treat serious pathologies, but it is considered a doping product in sport.
The player had tested positive for testosterone according to Italian media outlets Corriere della Sera and Gazzetta dello Sport. His club had specified in a press release that the control dated back to August 20, after the match against Udine, counting for the first day of the Italian championship. A match during which Paul Pogba did not come into play.
Shortly before the announcement of the positive result of his test in September, the Frenchman assured that he had the “rage” and “the desire to play” this season, believing that his problems outside the stadium had made him “stronger” , in an interview broadcast by the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera.
The French footballer returned to Juventus in the summer of 2022 after six seasons at Manchester United. The 2022-2023 season had been particularly difficult for him, on and off the field. The 2018 world champion initially suffered injuries, which limited the number of matches he played this year to ten and deprived him of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He was also the victim of an organized extortion attempt in which one of his brothers was involved.
