Paul Pogba’s doping situation

Paul Pogba’s second stint at Juventus hasn’t gone as he had originally wished. He left Manchester United in the summer of 2022 with the desire to prove his worth once again and that he could still perform at the highest level but injuries, controversies off the pitch, and now a doping case have put a monumental dent in his tenure in Turin.

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According to what has been reported, the French midfielder took a nutritional supplement containing testosterone, which led to Pogba giving a positive doping test. It was also reported that the former Manchester United man already admitted to the people at Juventus that he consumed said supplement and there is a potential four-year ban on the table.

Pogba has also gone on record saying that this supplement was provided by a friend of his who happens to be a doctor in Miami, and the product in question cannot be purchased in Italy, which was another cause for problems. The player also told his club that he wasn’t aware that the supplement had testosterone and that he should have informed them of this before consuming the product in question, admitting his mistake.

It is also worth pointing out that the test occurred after Juventus’ match against Udinese on August 20^th, where Pogba did not feature in the game. Still, he was on the bench, which makes him eligible for the doping test that teams do after every match, and the player is one trial and B sample away from getting a four-year ban from professional football.

There were also reports made by ESPN that Juventus have stopped paying the Frenchman his 8 million salary per year, and there is a potential scenario that his contract could be terminated if he doesn’t win his trial. Doping is considered a criminal offense in Italian law, and a major legal argument exists for his contract to be terminated.

“We are waiting for the results of the counter-analysis and cannot say anything until then,” Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said when asked about the situation by the Italian media. “The only certain thing is that Paul Pogba never intended to break the rules.”

It’s no secret that the Frenchman has had a torrid time in Juventus since he returned in the 2022/23 season. The signs were already there from the beginning when he arrived nursing an injury he endured during his final months at Manchester United and, as of this writing, he has only managed 11 appearances across all competitions since returning to Turin.

Even if he somehow ends up being judged as innocent and can play football again, he is currently nursing another injury. Despite all of his promise during his first spell at Juventus many years ago, Paul Pogba’s career leaves an air of disappointment, with a lot of people having a lot of expectations for him that were never truly met, and this situation could arguably put an end to his career in a very tumultuous manner.

Juventus director Giuntoli on Paul Pogba doping case: “We wait for final outcome of this story and then we’ll decide with the player’s agent”. ⚪️⚫️🇫🇷

Termination of the contract, one of the possibilities being considered — but it depends on the process/investigation. pic.twitter.com/R5uJ5GIAcz

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 16, 2023