Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba's failed drug test has been officially confirmed, as his B sample also yielded a positive result. The 30-year-old player had been placed under provisional suspension a month ago due to elevated levels of testosterone detected in his initial sample.
The random drug test was administered to the French international following Juventus' 3-0 victory over Udinese on August 20th, during which he remained on the bench as an unused substitute. If found guilty of doping, Pogba could face a suspension ranging from two to four years. Nado Italia, the Italian anti-doping agency, asserted that Pogba violated anti-doping regulations when they identified the presence of "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites," indicating that the source of these substances was external.
Testosterone, known for enhancing athletes' endurance, was the prohibited substance in question. In response to the initial suspension, Pogba's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, maintained that Pogba had never intended to infringe any rules.
In July 2022, Juventus re-signed Pogba on a four-year contract after his contract with Manchester United expired, making him a free agent. However, his return to Turin has been marred by recurring injury woes, which also caused him to miss the previous year's World Cup in Qatar.
During the current season, Pogba has only played 51 minutes as a substitute in matches against Bologna and Empoli. In the preceding season, he accumulated a total of 162 minutes, making brief appearances in six Serie A matches, contributing one assist in the Europa League, and playing 11 minutes in the Coppa Italia, all without scoring any goals. Pogba's injury problems resurfaced recently, with Juventus manager Massimo Allegri citing a minor back issue following his appearance against Empoli.
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