Paul Pogba Banned For Four Years Over Doping

France World Cup winner, Paul Pogba, has been banned from football for four years because of doping.

The punishment effectively ends Pogba’s career as the Juventus midfielder turns 31 years old in March.

Pogba, who has been suspended since last September, was tested in August and the results showed elevated levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.

The tribunal said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.

Meanwhile, a second test sample has now been checked and the former Manchester United star has been handed a four-year ban, considered among the strongest possible punishments for the offence.

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.

Pogba, 30, returned to Juventus in 2022 after his second stint at Manchester United. Since his return to Italy, he was hampered by injuries. He played in 178 matches for Juventus from 2012 to '16.

He was ruled out of France's run to the World Cup final in 2022 due to a knee injury.

There has also been an ongoing police investigation in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists- including by his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing.