Paul Pogba’s agent has insisted his client ‘never wanted to break the rules’ after it emerged he had committed a doping offence.
The France and Juventus midfielder faces a ban of up to four years after testing positive for testosterone.
The 30-year-old, whose return to Italy from Manchester United in July 2022 had already turned into a nightmare before this development, is said to have tested positive after his club’s Serie A match against Udinese on August 20, a match in which he did not played.
He has now been suspended as a precautionary measure by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal and has three days to request a B sample.
While he may not be innocent, Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta has jumped to his defense in a recently released statement.
Paul Pogba’s agent (photo) has come to his aid after he was suspended for doping
Rafaela Pimenta said the midfielder ‘never wanted to break the rules’ as she broke her silence
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Through Simon Stone, Pimenta said: “We are waiting for the counter analysis and until then we cannot say anything.
“The certain thing is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break the rules.”
Although Pogba’s positive test came three games ago, he has since featured in Juventus’ games against Bologna and Empoli since the match against Udinese, as the results were analyzed.
The maximum suspension in such cases is four years – an initial ban of two years, which can be doubled if it is proven that the drug was taken intentionally.
Juventus confirmed Pogba’s provisional suspension in a club statement on Monday evening.
The statement read: ‘Juventus Football Club announces that today, September 11, 2023, footballer Paul Labile Pogba has received a precautionary suspension order from the National Anti-Doping Tribunal following the results of tests conducted on August 20, 2023.
“The club reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps.”
Pogba returned to Juventus from Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 after six years back in the Premier League.
He had a mixed time at United, leaving the club for a second time on a free transfer after moving to Italy as a teenager in 2012.
Pogba has played twice for Juventus since returning the positive test
He has had a difficult second spell with the Italian side since returning from Manchester United
But things didn’t go to plan at Juve either, with the midfielder making just one start last season due to injury.
He has enjoyed more playing time this season, but will now be absent due to his suspension, apparently for the foreseeable future.
Pogba has previously admitted he was considering quitting football over the alleged extortion plot against him and his family in 2022.
The France midfielder was threatened by a gang of masked armed men in a Paris apartment who demanded millions from the star for ‘protection services’.