2023-10-07 05:25:01
Will we one day see Paul Pogba on a football pitch again? A question that was unthinkable just a few months ago despite the accumulation of injuries for the 2018 world champion, but which seems more than relevant today.
This Thursday, the second opinion of his doping control has just confirmed his positive test for testosterone on August 20 on the sidelines of the match between Udinese and Juventus. The troubles continue for “La Pioche”, and are not likely to stop immediately.
What is he really risking?
Already on a sporting level, the Juventus midfielder is seeing his career take a turning point. At 30 years old, and in a life as a footballer who has already taken a hit due to his injuries and extra-sporting affairs, he now risks, in addition, a 4-year suspension, the most severe sanction provided for by the World Anti-Doping Code for the use of anabolic steroids, which includes testosterone.
This duration could be revised downwards and halved if he manages to demonstrate non-intentionality. It could even be limited to a few months if the use of the substance took place “outside competition and is not linked to his level of performance”, or even disappear if it is established that he did not commit any fault. nor negligence.
VIDEO. Pogba suspended after positive doping test
“We cannot be confident in this type of case because we are starting with the enormous handicap of a positive test,” underlines Tatiana Vassine, a lawyer specializing in sports law, in our columns. We are rowing against the tide, especially since the tendency remains towards punishment. »
What about his future at Juventus and in the Blues?
If his length of suspension will necessarily affect the rest of his career, Paul Pogba may have to find a new club by then anyway. Suspended from salary since September 11 by Juventus – date of the suspension announced by the Italian anti-doping agency (Nado) – the French midfielder remains for the moment on good terms with his managers according to the indiscretions of the Italian press.
However, the Piedmontese club would still study the possibilities available to it to part with a player who earns almost 10 million euros per year. “Taking a food product without notifying the club could in itself constitute a fault which would be serious enough to justify the end of the contract,” recalls Tatiana Vassine. Pogba is still under contract until the summer of 2026 in Turin. As for the Blues where his last selection dates from March 29, 2022, against South Africa (5-0), it seems utopian, to date, to imagine the 2018 world champion returning to the selection at least by Euro 2024 (June 14 – July 14). And probably even beyond this deadline.
At 30 years old, with the possibility of a rather heavy sanction for a player potentially soon without a club and who has a number of injuries, is the end of his career possible for someone who has only played 12 games since his return to Italy at summer 2022? No information has leaked from the player’s entourage on the subject.
When to expect a court decision?
While waiting to learn more, another equally vague battle is beginning for Paul Pogba on the legal level. The midfielder and his lawyer Rafaela Pimenta will have to defend themselves before the Italian courts to first limit the duration of the suspension. A fight that can take time. José Luis Palomino had waited 4 months before being completely cleared by proving a therapeutic use, which is not the case for Paul Pogba who would have indicated that he had ingested an unnecessary food supplement.
In tennis, Simona Halep had waited almost a year before knowing her 4-year sanction after testing positive for roxadustat. Being an international level player, Paul Pogba will also have the possibility of appealing any decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and not to the Italian national authorities, which could take even longer. .
As doping is considered an offense under Italian law, the player could also face criminal charges and even risks a maximum sentence of three years in prison as well as a fine. To go that far, the player’s intentionality would have to be demonstrated. Another future concern for the player, his two sponsors Adidas and Pepsi could consider withdrawing from Paul Pogba whose image now appears very tainted. It is, in short, an entire career that is being played out, in complete obscurity.
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