French international Paul Pogba, initially suspended for four years for doping, has just had his sentence reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday October 4. After a long journey, the midfielder can now hope to get back on track with his sporting career. But the future still looks very uncertain for the Frenchman, who is no longer part of Juventus Turin’s plans and will have to rebuild to find the French team.
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The horizon is finally clearing for Paul Pogba. Entangled in legal disputes which have put his sporting career on hold for almost two years, the French international finally seems on track to return to the football fields after the announcement on October 4 of the reduction of his suspension for doping by four years to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “ Finally, the nightmare is over. This time has been extremely trying for me as everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold. », Reacted the player on Friday, he who had appealed to the court and finally won his case.
The Frenchman tested positive for testosterone in August 2023 during a match between Juventus and Udinese in which he did not participate. The Italian anti-doping court then rendered its decision on February 29, announcing its suspension for four years from football fields. “ I have always maintained that I have never knowingly violated the regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, and which does not affect or enhance performance male athletes », he recalled, proclaiming his integrity from the start and evoking the thesis of accidental contamination. The youngest of the Pogba siblings is also still at the heart of an organized gang extortion case of which he was the victim in 2022 and for which the courts ordered in September the opening of a trial for six men including his brother Mathias Pogba.
A probable end to the story with Juventus
Having come very close to the early end of his career and having disappeared from the radar for a year, the extravagant midfielder has just received almost unexpected good news and can finally hope to get back on track with his career. But his return does not look like a smooth ride and many things have changed during his absence.
Officially, the Frenchman will be able to return to the pitch and play official matches in March 2025 with his club Juventus Turin. Under contract until 2026, Pogba nevertheless no longer seems to fit into the plans of the Italian club, which has never publicly supported him and has started a new cycle without him with young players (Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram ) with much lower salary demands than him and his eight million euros per season, reduced to 2000 euros per month during his suspension.
With a financial deficit of 200 million euros, Juventus should therefore probably not keep the player, who also displays a record well below the expectations placed on him (12 matches played, 213 minutes of play and no goals). A trend confirmed half-heartedly by Thiago Motta, the current coach of the Bianconeri, this Saturday October 5 at a press conference: “ The club will assess the situation and, if necessary, make a decision. As far as I’m concerned, Paul Pogba was a great player but he hasn’t played for a long time “.
Deprived of the club’s training facilities during its suspension, the ” Pickaxe » continued to train on his own and could bounce back in another European club or even in Saudi Arabia, a championship often ready to recruit big names looking for a new lease of life in their careers.
The dream of the 2026 World Cup with the Blues?
On the side of the French team, the support was much less cautious during its legal setbacks. One of the great architects who led the Blues to the world title in 2018, the French international (91 caps, 11 goals) was largely supported by Didier Deschamps, who himself launched him with the Blues in 2013. I don’t imagine for a single moment that Paul had the intention, the desire, to take drugs. To know him well, I know that this is not at all in his state of mind », had supported the French coach last February, also adding that he could not “ remain insensitive to his pain, taking into account everything he has achieved in the selection and the relationships we have established in the French team “.
Deprived of the 2022 World Cup after a right knee injury, Pogba could theoretically aim for a return with the Blues and participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States if he is spared from injuries and returns to a satisfactory level in the eyes of the coach . Present in the stands during the Blues’ round of 16 match against Belgium (1-0) at Euro 2024 on July 1, the player has never hidden his attachment to the tricolor jersey.
Although a new cycle seems to have started among the Blues after the international retirements of Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, to everyone’s surprise for the latter, Didier Deschamps has already proven that he can call on former executives even if they play in a minor championship, like the return of N’Golo Kanté (33 years old, Al-Ittihad) for Euro 2024. A long road now opens up in front of Paul Pogba, who will have to fight on the sporting level to revive his career after having won a first victory on the legal level.
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