Juventus player Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years following a failed drug test, according to reports by Italian media.
In September, the ex-Manchester United player received a provisional suspension due to elevated testosterone levels found in his drug test.
Testosterone is a hormone that increases the endurance of athletes.
The 30-year-old was randomly tested after Juventus’ first match of the season on August 20, 2023.
According to BBC Sport, Pogba is expected to challenge Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal’s ruling.
Juventus informed the BBC that they were notified by the anti-doping tribunal on Thursday morning.
This decision implies that Pogba will not be able to participate in any matches until 2027 when he reaches the age of 33.
The ban was backdated to the date of the failed test.
During the initial suspension, Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said, “What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule.”
BBC reports that Pogba was found to have violated rules due to the presence of non-endogenous testosterone metabolites in the test, indicating an external source of the substances.
Juventus welcomed back Pogba, a former player of the club, with a four-year contract in July 2022 following his departure from Manchester United as a free agent.
During his time with the Italian giants from 2012–2016, he appeared in 178 matches and scored 34 goals.
The 2018 World Cup winner has faced ongoing injury issues since returning to Juventus, causing him to miss the recent World Cup in Qatar.
This season, Pogba has accumulated 51 minutes on the pitch as a substitute in matches against Bologna and Empoli.
During the previous season, he accumulated a total of 162 minutes across various competitions but did not score any goal.