A lack of vigilance would be at the origin of the positive test for testosterone suffered on August 20 by Paul Pogba, and revealed Monday by the Italian Anti-Doping Agency (Nado). This is the thesis what advances The Gazzetta dello Sport, which indicates that the French midfielder from Juventus Turin would have taken a food supplement recommended by a doctor friend. This product would come from the United States, where anti-doping rules are not necessarily the same as in Europe.
Still according to the Milanese daily, Pogba would have acted without having informed his club. The 2018 world champion was checked after the match on the first day of Serie A between Udinese and Juve, during which he remained on the bench. This “negligence” could cost him dearly: up to four years of suspension, and the termination of the attractive contract which binds him to Juve until 2026.
Limit breakage
The 30-year-old Frenchman is provisionally suspended by Nado, pending the counter-analysis. If this also turns out to be positive, the Pogba camp’s line of defense is clear: the player never had the intention of doping by taking the incriminated food supplement.
If the “Pickaxe” proves its good faith, this could reduce the sanction incurred but certainly not eliminate it.