Anti-doping prosecution has requested a four-year suspension against Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba has no intention of admitting his guilt in the case against him for testing positive for synthetic testosterone on 20th August after a Serie A match against Udinese in which he did not even play. Shortly after the news leaked, his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, defended his innocence, arguing that he was unaware that the substance was banned. A counter-analysis on 6th October confirmed the presence of the concoction in his system.

With the matter already in the hands of the Italian National Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office, the possibility of a plea to reduce his punishment was on the table, but he refused: he will go to trial before the National Anti-Doping Court.

As a result, the institution is asking for 4 years of disqualification for him. This is the information published by 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' well into Thursday morning. The Frenchman has not been on the pitch since September 3, against Empoli, and is receiving the minimum wage as a 'Bianconeri'.

Should the punishment go ahead, the former Manchester United man will not be able to play in any games until he is 34. Moreover, by 2027, his contract in Turin will be expired, so he would have to look for another destination or try to convince the board to renew him even with a year to go - he is tied until 2026 - so that he can stay at the Italian club.

His potential absence also completely dooms his chances of returning to the French national team, for which he was left out of the World Cup in Qatar and has not been called up since March last year. Euro 2024 is just around the corner and he is not on Didier Deschamps' shortlist, but, if he is deprived of playing, he will not have the opportunity to show the coach that he is ready to represent his country again. The decision, though, is his own and a risky one: he wants to prove his innocence.

 

December 7, 2023