Paul Pogba admitted he is “heartbroken” after receiving a four-year ban for doping and confirmed he will appeal the decision to the sport’s highest legal authority.
He tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ first game of the season and received his punishment from Italy’s anti-doping prosecutor 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 defense and now a sanction has been imposed that could end his career.
He said: ‘Today I was informed of the decision of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping and I believe that the verdict is incorrect.
Paul Pogba admits he is ‘heartbroken’ after receiving four-year ban for doping
Pogba will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the sanction that could end his career
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“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken because everything I have built in my career as a professional player has been taken away from me.
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“When I am free of legal restrictions, the full story will be clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplement that violates anti-doping rules.
‘As a professional athlete, I would never do anything to improve my performance by using banned substances and I have never disrespected or misled other athletes and fans of any of the teams I have played with or against.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today, I will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
Pogba’s suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.
After coming through United’s academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and won four consecutive Serie A titles.
This convinced the Red Devils to bring him back to Old Trafford in 2016 for a world record fee of £89 million.
Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but struggled to reach the same heights at club level.
He was once the most expensive player in the world when he signed for Man United for £89 million in 2016.
His second spell at Juventus has turned out to be a disaster after he rejoined the club in 2022.
During his six years in England, Pogba won the Europa League and League Cup with United but failed to turn them into Premier League title contenders.
His last game saw him limp after 10 minutes as United fell to a dismal 4-0 defeat against bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.
He left the 13-time Premier League champions on a free transfer for the second time in 2022 to return to Juventus with the aim of resurrecting his career.
But his first year back in Turin proved disastrous as he missed most of the campaign due to injury.
Pogba started just one game all season after being sidelined with knee, groin and hamstring problems.
He was named on the bench for the opening match of the 2023-24 season, but was not a substitute in the 3-0 win against Udinese.
After that match, he returned to a trial that led to him receiving a four-year ban.
The substance found in his system was DHEA, which can naturally increase testosterone levels.
Pogba requested to have his B sample tested but also tested positive in October, leading Juventus to consider terminating his contract.
Pogba won the World Cup with France in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia
He failed to reach the same heights at club level with Man United and left the club in 2022.
Pogba’s last game for United saw him limp after 10 minutes of a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool.
From the beginning he insisted that he had no idea how the substance had entered his system and that he was not seeking to gain a sporting advantage.
There was also a previous case in Serie A that suggested Pogba might not receive as severe a sanction.
In 2018, Cagliari’s Brazilian striker Joao Pedro faced a four-year ban after testing positive for a diuretic. Pedro insisted that he had inadvertently consumed contaminated food supplements and, pardon the pun, bought his argument.
As a result, he received a six-month ban, most of which he served during preseason.
Pogba may have expected a similar sentence and worked to stay fit while waiting to learn his fate.
Pogba stayed fit while awaiting his punishment, but has now received a lengthy ban.
His agent, Rafaela Pimenta, also stated in November that he was optimistic about his possible sanction and that he had not lost hope of playing again.
However, he will now have to serve a lengthy suspension following Thursday’s ruling.