- Paul Pogba failed a drugs test last year and has been given a four-year ban
- The ban could spell the end of the former Man United star’s career
- Manchester United’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe can rebuild the stadium, build a museum… but they should pay for it – It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly been handed a four-year ban from football after failing a drugs test last August.
The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’s first game of the season against Udinese, and was given his hefty punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor’s office in Italy on Thursday, as reported by La Repubblica.
Pogba’s lawyers had rejected a plea deal and hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after claiming that he had accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test.
However, the prosecution did not believe Pogba’s defence, and he has now been given a ban that could potentially end his career.
Pogba will turn 31 next month, meaning he would not be able to return to the pitch until he is almost 35.
Pogba’s suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.
The Frenchman returned to Old Trafford in 2016 after coming through the club’s academy before thriving at Juventus, with United playing the Italian giants £89m for his services.
Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but struggled to hit the same heights at United.
More to follow…
Paul Pogba has been banned for four years after failing a drugs test last year
