After a first season truncated by extra-sporting setbacks and injuries, Paul Pogba’s return to Juventus continues to be a bitter failure. While the 2018 world champion is already no longer unanimous within the squad of the Old Lady, the new controversy concerning his supposed positive test for testosterone against Udinese, during the entry into the Serie To the Bianconeri, could be fatal to the native of Lagny-sur-Marne. In the event of a serious sanction following this affair, the Turin management could indeed act accordingly.
Italy wants to set an example
For the moment, however, neither Paul Pogba nor Juventus have yet commented on this matter of supposed doping. If the French midfielder risks a suspension of several years (between two and four years), he still has three days to prove his innocence while already awaiting the counter-analyses of these first results which should be carried out in the coming days. The international tricolor will also have to appear before a court in connection with the Italian anti-doping agency in the context of this case. But before that, the Frenchman could already be suspended as a precautionary measure by the national anti-doping prosecutor’s office for violation of articles 2.1 and 2.2 while Italy has been very severe with doping cases recently.
As a reminder, during the 1990s, the reputation of Italian football was severely damaged due to suspicions of doping, particularly with EPO, which made headlines. Juventus Turin in 1996, where Gianlucia Vialli, Alessandro Del Piero and Didier Deschamps played in particular, was particularly singled out. A doctor and a pharmacist ended up being convicted by the Italian courts in 2004. And since the case of the death of Davide Astori, Italy wants to set an example even more by being intractable on these subjects. More bad news in perspective for Paul Pogba.
Paul Pogba pushed towards the exit?
This controversy concerning Paul Pogba is also reminiscent of that experienced by José Luis Palomino in 2022, the latest doping affair which shook transalpine football. Testing positive for nandrolone during an anti-doping test on July 26, 2022, the Argentine defender ended up being cleared by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal. If such an outcome is imaginable in the case of the French midfielder, Juventus risks not passing up the opportunity to get rid of a player who has become persona non grata within the squad led by Massimiliano Allegri.
If José Luis Palomino is still an Atalanta Bergamo player today, Paul Pogba’s future at Juventus is therefore getting darker. His career could even take a dramatic turn if his suspension is confirmed. While the Turin leaders were already considering a departure from La Pioche during the previous summer transfer window, this new affair could have irreversible consequences and a departure abroad could be studied in order to find a way out.
