Former Manchester United midfielder and current Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been temporarily suspended for an anti-doping offence; the 30-year-old rejoined Juventus from Manchester United last summer and has made eight Serie A appearances for the club so far. The test, performed after Juve’s victory at Udinese on August 20, detected elevated levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
Nado Italia, the anti-doping agency, said that Pogba was suspended provisionally with immediate effect. Pending a trial and testing of a backup “B” sample, he risks a suspension of up to four years. Juventus released a statement acknowledging the failed test and said they were considering their next steps. The news is another negative note for a player who has been bothered by injuries ever since rejoining Juventus from Manchester United a little more than a year ago. He was ruled out of France’s run to the World Cup final last year due to a knee injury and played in only six Serie A matches for Juventus last season.
Pogba has yet to start a game this season but has made two substitute appearances, last playing in the 2-0 win at Empoli. There’s also been a police investigation ongoing in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists – including by his older brother, Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing. It’s also another blow to Juventus following a season marred by inquiries into false accounting and irregular reporting of salary payments. The legal cases resulted in the Turin club being removed by UEFA from European competition this season.
