In the aftermath of France’s 2-1 away loss to Germany in Dortmund, France’s national team manager Didier Deschamps was asked about Paul Pogba’s anti-doping offence.
The Juventus midfielder, who proved instrumental in Deschamps’ tenure as head of Les Bleus, is provisionally suspended by Italy’s Anti-Doping Court after testing positive for testosterone in a routine test following a Serie A game Pogba didn’t even play in. Deschamps, himself a former Juventus midfielder who went on to win the World Cup with France, said he was “very surprised” by the latest setback in the former Manchester United’s man career.
“I don’t know all the facts. It’s still an ongoing process“, Deschamps said to TF1. “But there are so many bad things happening for Paul at the moment… It’s tough.” The France boss revealed he has been exchanging messages with Pogba since Monday. When asked if one of his most trusted midfielders could intentionally take performance-enhancing drugs, Deschamps replied that he could not imagine it. “I still remember discussions with him relating to COVID and vaccination. But the metabolites were there. As to know why and how, I don’t think he himself knows, unfortunately. It’s tough for him, I’ve always backed him. It’s another setback for him.“
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
