Paul Pogba is hoping to avoid a lengthy doping ban that would jeopardize his career because the substance he tested positive for in August was not testosterone.
The Juventus midfielder was provisionally suspended last month after a doping test revealed high levels of testosterone in his body.
On Friday, the 30-year-old’s failed drug test, carried out following a Serie A match against Udinese on August 20, was confirmed after his B sample also tested positive.
However, the Times reports that the French international, who faces up to four years of ban, had a banned substance in his system – DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) – which naturally stimulates testosterone production, rather than testosterone itself.
DHEA is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of banned substances and carries a maximum sentence of four years if the athlete took it deliberately to enhance performance.
The report adds that although the drug is classified as an anabolic and androgenic steroid, a prominent anti-doping lawyer, whose name has not been released, says there could be an explanation leading to a reduced suspension due to its presence in supplements.
THE Times says a spokesperson for Pogba declined to comment on Friday, but it is understood the former Manchester United player intends to test all products he uses to try to identify the source of DHEA .
In 2022, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six-month suspension after testing positive for DHEA.
The governing body gave him a reduced suspension due to Green’s cooperation and the fact that it was a small amount of performance enhancement.
The American, who accepted responsibility for his actions, said he did not realize DHEA was banned after seeing a video on YouTube and began taking the supplement after his wife ‘had bought in a supermarket.
DHEA can be legally sold in the United States as a dietary product and Green provided USADA with proof that he purchased it and ingested the banned substance as an over-the-counter supplement.
Pogba’s return to Juventus has not gone as planned so far. After leaving United for the Italian giants in 2022, he suffered a series of serious injuries which severely limited his playing time at the Serie A club.
