The world of football has been left shocked after the maximum ban for doping has been imposed on Paul Pogba. The Paul Pogba doping ban has been announced and the prosecutors have got their way, with the player being banned for four years from all football.
It arguably brings the curtain down to one of the biggest “what if” careers in modern football as the player who was once pegged to win the Ballon d’Or will instead spend the last six-seven years of his career in wilderness.
Here’s all you need to know about the Paul Pogba doping ban, how it came about, and what happens next-
Paul Pogba doping ban- The backstory
Things started to unravel for Pogba when he tested positive for increased testosterone after a game against Udinese on August 20 of this season.
The result was announced in September and in an ironic tale, Pogba didn’t even play that game, remaining on the bench instead.
The prosecutors instantly sought a four-year ban on the player, the maximum allowed under the World Anti-Doping code.
However, the ban can be reduced if the player can somehow prove that the intake was unintentional at best, or uninformed at worst. Clearly, in Pogba’s case, both of those possible eventualities didn’t come to pass and he got handed the worst possible ban for his career.
Paul Pogba age and a career-ending ban
The ban arguably marks the end of 30-year-old Pogba at the top level as a professional footballer. After leaving Manchester United on a free transfer for the second time, the hope was that he would rediscover his love for football in familiar surroundings at Juventus.
What transpired was straight out of a professional player’s nightmares.
Injury concerns limited him to just six appearances in all competitions in his debut season for The Old Lady. He was determined to come back stronger and had already made two appearances this season in August itself before the doping storm hit.
When the ban ends, Pogba will be 34, going on to 35, and for a player who has always been a bit injury-prone, the lack of match fitness after four years at that age is likely to prove prohibitive on return to the game.
Most importantly, he has been banned from all football which means he can’t drop down levels or change leagues to continue playing.
Ultimately, four years is the ban given in the most heinous doping cases and with Pogba never once coming out with a statement of his own defending his innocence, one is inclined to believe something wrong was going on.
From a completely sporting perspective, it is sad to see the career of this generation’s most promising midfielders end on a whimper, in disgrace, away from the spotlight, just fading away into obscurity.