Paul Pogba, world champion with the French National Team in Russia 2018, who was suspended for doping, will return to the fields much earlier than expected. This Friday, the sanction that had been imposed was reduced.
According to the criteria of
Pogba had been suspended for four years for doping in 2023. However, a spokesperson for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced this Friday that the Frenchman’s punishment was reduced to 18 months.
Thus, the Frenchman, who has played 91 games for the national team, in which he scored 11 goals, is authorized to return to the competition as of March 11.
“I confirm the decision: 18 months of suspension starting September 11, 2023. The decision was issued without the reasons, which will follow later,” the CAS spokesperson told the AFP agency.
The reason why Paul Pogba tested positive
Pogba, 32, tested positive for testosterone in August 2023 during a match between Juventus and Udinese and was provisionally suspended in September of the same year.
The midfielder was banned for four years last February by the national anti-doping court.
In a message posted on Instagram after the announcement of his four-year ban, Pogba had claimed to have “never knowingly or deliberately” taken doping products.
To explain this positive anti-doping control, those around him had advanced the thesis of accidental contamination through a food supplement prescribed by a doctor consulted in the United States. Testosterone, a hormone of male fertility and sexuality, promotes muscle development.
Pogba, a former Manchester United player, had a current contract with Juventus at the time of the sanction.
As one of the architects of the world title won by France in Russia in 2018, Pogba was one of the great stars of world football in the 2010s, before seeing his star fade after a succession of misfortunes on and off the field. of game.
In the 2022-23 season, Pogba only played ten games for Juve due to an injury to the meniscus in his right knee and had to undergo an operation that prevented him from attending the World Cup in Qatar, where France lost in the final against Argentina in December 2022.
The player was also the victim of a case of extortion by an organized gang in which his own brother Mathias was involved.
SPORTS
With AFP
More Sports news
#Paul #Pogba #return #fields #ahead #schedule #CAS #reduced #doping #sanction #Frenchman #serving