"I am sad, shocked and heartbroken" - Paul Pogba releases statement after receiving 4 year ban from football
French midfielder Paul Pogba was left dejected after receiving a four-year ban from football by Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal for violating doping regulations.
Pogba, formerly of Manchester United, was first suspended in September after failing a drug test at his current club, Juventus. A secondary sample analysis led to the Tribunal banning him from all footballing activities until 2027, the longest ban any player could have received.
In a statement released by the Frenchman, he expressed his discontentment and despair about the verdict. The statement read:
"I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping's decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect. I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me."
He reassured his fans that he would never voluntarily take performance enhancing drugs, adding:
"I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations. As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances."
A Manchester United academy graduate, Pogba played seven seasons at Old Trafford across two stints. He made 238 appearances, registering 39 goals and 51 assists for the club. He also had two stints at Juventus, appearing 190 times and adding 34 goals and 41 assists in the process.
He was also a crucial part of France's FIFA World Cup success in 2018, scoring in the final against Croatia.
His current contract with the Bianconeri lasts till 2026. However, it is highly likely that he will never make an appearance for the Italian giants again.
"He's too rich to care" - Richard Keys slams Paul Pogba after four-year doping ban
Veteran broadcaster Richard Keys took to X to slam Paul Pogba upon hearing the news of his four-year ban from football due to doping.
He wrote:
“So, Paul Pogba can’t play football for 4 years. How will we tell? He hasn’t played for the last 4 years – perhaps longer. Sadly, he’s too rich to care.”
Saying that he "hasn't played for the last four years, perhaps longer," Keys was referring to the midfielder's proneness to injuries, which has kept him sidelined for nearly 200 games across his playing career.
Even though he moved to Juventus on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Frenchman only made 10 appearances for the club off the bench in 2022-23, totalling only 161 minutes on the pitch.
As Keys tartly retorted, the football world hadn't seen much of Pogba anyway, and are not likely to see him in action ever again.