Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba handed four-year ban for doping

Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years for a doping offence, it has been reported.

The former Manchester United midfielder was suspended from his current club, Juventus, in September 2023 when he tested positive for DHEA, a substance that promotes the production of testosterone.

The ruling means Pogba will be unable to play until 2027, when he will be 33, with the ban backdated to the date of the failed test.

In December, anti-doping prosecutors in Italy suggested the 30-year-old receive a four-year ban, the maximum sentence a footballer can receive.

According to La Republicca, a court approved the sentence on 29 February.

Pogba has fought the allegations of doping since his ban. He called for an independent counter-analysis of his doping test, but those results also came back positive.

Pogba also had the opportunity to make a plea bargain with the anti-doping agency, which could have resulted in a lesser sentence.

Instead, he maintained his innocence and took the case to court where he was eventually handed the ban.

He reportedly plans to appeal the decision.

Speaking at the time of the initial suspension, Pogba's agent, Rafaela Pimenta, said: "What is certain is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a rule."

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