Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal has confirmed that Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba (30) has received a provisional ban due to a doping offence, his agent, Rafaela Pimenta, has now responded stating that the French midfielder “never meant to break a rule.”
It was initially reported by Italian media earlier on Monday that Pogba tested positive for testosterone in the aftermath of Juventus’ opening-day Serie A game against Udinese – a match in which Pogba took no part. The Frenchman has been working his way back to fitness, and despite a minor injury setback just before the international break, it was hoped that he would be sufficiently recovered to feature against Lazio.
However, he has now been provisionally suspended, which will make the Juventus midfielder ineligible for upcoming games. Italian anti-doping rules stipulate that Pogba could face anything up to a four-year ban if found guilty of intentional doping. RMC Sport reached out to the player’s agent and Pimenta has now responded to the issuing of the provisional ban.
“We are awaiting the counter-analysis and we can’t have an opinion before the results. What is certain is that Paul Pogba never meant to break a rule,” said Pimenta.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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