From a World Cup Winner to a Convicted Athlete: A Dive Into Paul Pogba’s Doping Ban [All You Need To Know]

Paul Pogba’s doping ban has dominated the conversation in the footballing world as it marks the ultimate decline and fall of one of the greatest characters in the round leather game.

From winning four Serie A titles with Juventus, and winning the World Cup in 2018 with France, Pogba is now left with only a faint memory of his heydays as he threads on a thin line between career revamp and demise at the instance of his four-year ban and the circumstances surrounding it.

Paul Pogba’s doping ban

On Thursday, February 28, 2024, Italy’s Antidoping Tribunal found Pogba guilty of doping and slammed him with a four-year ban from footballing action. A four-year ban is the maximum sentence for a doping charge and the toughest of all other possible penalties. For context, even if one is on the nascent stages of his career with the advantage of age, a four-year freeze from the game is enough a timeline to disincentivize an athlete, soak up drive and interest, and ultimately get him off the game.

This is why Pogba’s four-year doping ban has been considered the final death end of his career. Moreso fatal when his age comes into the equation. Pogba will be 31 years old this March 2024. Should the Court of Arbitration for Sport uphold the sentence, he will be 35 when the ban expires, and would be apparently too frail to revive his career.

How Paul Pogba’s doping ban began

The trajectory to Paul Pogba’s doping ban isn’t far-fetched. It all started in August 2023 during a Juventus Serie A match against Udinese. Pogba, who was still nursing injury did not feature for the Old Ladies but was on the bench. His blood sample was collected for a doping test. The result turned out positive. Pogba requested a counter-analysis test for his B-sample. It also turned out positive. With the two results coming out positive, the former Manchester United midfielder was in for a possible maximum penalty – a four-year ban.

Pogba’s doping ban: What were the arguments?

Pogba was indicted by the Italian prosecution after the double tests turned out positive. Pogba’s defense counsel had insisted the player did not intentionally use the substance and had accidentally ingested it in his supplements.

Meanwhile, the prosecution pressed for a maximum penalty of a four-year ban refusing to cup ears to claims by Pogba’s defense team. With a four-year ban set to be slammed on the player, Pogba had an option of pleading guilty to speak to the empathy of the tribunal for a possible lesser sentence but refused to do so.

His lawyers insisted he is innocent, and hence cannot plead guilty for the offense he did not intentionally commit. With evidence from the two doping tests, Pogba could not escape the ban but his lawyers had to push to escape the maximum sentence.

He was handed the four-year ban after the prosecution refused to believe he did not intentionally use the substance.

Paul Pogba reacts to doping ban

In a rather sad and disparaging tone, Pogba has lashed out at the judgment of the tribunal, describing it as incorrect and out of order.

He also confirmed his decision to appeal the ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect,” Pogba said in a statement.

“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.

“When I am free of legal restrictions, the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.

“As a professional athlete, I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.

“As a consequence of the decision announced today, I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

Which substance did Paul Pogba use?

Pogba tested positive for DHEA – a banned substance for sports athletes that boosts testosterone and leads to enhanced performance. According to Mayor Clinic, DHEA is an acronym for a naturally occurring chemical substance called Dehydroepiandrosterone.

It produces hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen and has been produced as a pharmaceutical product for anti-aging treatment and boosting performance.

According to reports, Pogba ingested the substance as part of a medical prescription by a US doctor who managed his recovery from injury in November 2022.

This has been the bottom line of his disagreement with the ban from Italy’s Antidoping Tribunal.

What is next for Paul Pogba?

Sources close to the French footballer have revealed he is not considering quitting football soon and is optimistic about returning to his career. From his statement, he will appeal the ban and hopefully have it overturned.

If Pogba successfully proves at the Court of Arbitration for Sport that he did not use the substance knowingly, he could have his ban reduced based on precedents.