Juventus Midfielder Paul Pogba Banned 4 Years for Doping

FILE - Juventus' Paul Pogba keeps his eyes on the ball during an Italian Cup soccer match between Inter Milan and Juventus, at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, April 26, 2023. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)
FILE - Juventus' Paul Pogba keeps his eyes on the ball during an Italian Cup soccer match between Inter Milan and Juventus, at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, April 26, 2023. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)
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Juventus Midfielder Paul Pogba Banned 4 Years for Doping

FILE - Juventus' Paul Pogba keeps his eyes on the ball during an Italian Cup soccer match between Inter Milan and Juventus, at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, April 26, 2023. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)
FILE - Juventus' Paul Pogba keeps his eyes on the ball during an Italian Cup soccer match between Inter Milan and Juventus, at the San Siro Stadium, in Milan, Italy, April 26, 2023. (Spada/LaPresse via AP, File)

It's looking more and more like Paul Pogba's career is heading to a premature end.
Once one of the world's top midfielders, Pogba was banned for the maximum four years by Italy’s anti-doping court on Thursday after the World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone while with Juventus.
While Pogba said he would appeal to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, the verdict likely means that the France international — who turns 31 next month — didn't demonstrate any mitigating reasons for his failed test.
The positive result was announced in September, stemming from an exam that was carried out on Aug. 20 after Juventus’ game at Udinese. Pogba did not play in the Serie A match but was on the bench.
Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain with Italy’s anti-doping agency and so the case was tried before the country’s anti-doping court. A person with direct knowledge of the case confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the sentence was not made public due to Italy’s privacy laws.
Pogba said in a statement he believes “the verdict is incorrect.”
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” Pogba said. “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.
It could take a full year for a CAS verdict — at least that's the typical timeline unless one party pushes for a fast-track process and the other side agrees to it.
Four-year bans are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination or if they provide “substantial assistance” to help investigators.



Another Painful Home Defeat for Marseille as Auxerre Wins 3-1 in French League

Auxerre's Malian forward #17 Lassine Sinayoko (L) fights for the ball with Marseille's Argentinian defender #05 Leonardo Balerdi during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and AJ Auxerre at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France on November 8, 2024. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
Auxerre's Malian forward #17 Lassine Sinayoko (L) fights for the ball with Marseille's Argentinian defender #05 Leonardo Balerdi during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and AJ Auxerre at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France on November 8, 2024. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
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Another Painful Home Defeat for Marseille as Auxerre Wins 3-1 in French League

Auxerre's Malian forward #17 Lassine Sinayoko (L) fights for the ball with Marseille's Argentinian defender #05 Leonardo Balerdi during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and AJ Auxerre at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France on November 8, 2024. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)
Auxerre's Malian forward #17 Lassine Sinayoko (L) fights for the ball with Marseille's Argentinian defender #05 Leonardo Balerdi during the French L1 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and AJ Auxerre at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France on November 8, 2024. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP)

Marseille slumped to its second successive French league loss at home when Auxerre grabbed a 3-1 win at the Stade Vélodrome on Friday.
Roberto de Zerbi’s team was whistled and jeered by the frustrated home fans, with some Auxerre players even attempting to console the likes of Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot. There was no such sympathy from the supporters, who booed and whistled their team.
Marseille was bidding to keep some pressure on Paris Saint-Germain after its 3-0 loss to the club in its last game at home.
But it was given a shock in the 10th minute on Friday when Lassine Sinayoko capitalized on a mistake from defender Lilian Brassier to score. It was the Malian forward’s second goal in as many games for Auxerre.
It got worse before the break, when Gaëtan Perrin and Hamed Junior Traoré scored two goals in three minutes for the visitors, The Associated Press reported.
Marseille tried responding in the second half, but Auxerre went closer to scoring at the other end.
Then Marseille was given a lifeline when Clement Akpa was penalized for handball. Mason Greenwood duly scored the penalty in the 65th.
But that was as good as it got for de Zerbi’s team with Auxerre’s defense on top despite missing some first-choice players through injury.