Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years after failing an anti-doping test.
Juventus midfielder Pogba, 30, was initially handed a provisional ban by Italy's anti-doping organization NADO in September following the failed test that followed his side's 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20.
FIFA's policy for banning players who violate its anti-doping rules is between two and four years, depending on whether it can be proven that the violation was intentional.
Pogba's suspension may be subject to appeal.
Pogba's ban can be appealed (Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
According to NADO, the French international was initially suspended in September after his test revealed that the body does not produce testosterone.
NADO said the “A sample” provided by Pogba detected testosterone, which was not produced by the body. Following Pogba's interim suspension, his 'B sample' was sent for further testing at the Acqua Acetosa clinic in Rome, where the failed test was confirmed.
Pogba was an unused substitute in the game against Udinese that preceded his failed test, but came on as a substitute in the club's following two Serie A games – a 1-1 draw at home to Bologna and a two-goal win Empoli.
Pogba returned to Juventus in the summer of 2022 after six years at Manchester United, but fitness problems limited him to just ten appearances in the 2022–23 season.
The last of the midfielder's 91 caps for France came in March 2022 and his two appearances as a substitute are his only two appearances this season.
Pogba is under contract with Juventus until summer 2026.
Juventus are currently second in Serie A, 12 points behind leaders Inter, and will return to action on March 3 with a league game away to Naples.
What are anti-doping rules?
In football, anti-doping rules are in place to ensure that no one gains an unfair competitive advantage and to protect a player's health. The World Anti-Doping Agency sets a code that most sports organizations around the world follow.
FIFA's website states: “It is the player's strict responsibility to ensure that his body does not come into contact with any prohibited substances or methods” and that he should review any medication or treatment he receives.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has a regularly updated list of banned substances and methods. Athletes may only use banned substances or methods if there is a legitimate medical reason for doing so and they have been granted a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).
For example, British cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins was granted a medical exemption before the 2012 Tour de France allowing him to take the corticosteroid triamcinolone to treat asthma – Wiggins won the event. Triamcinolone was added to WADA's banned list in 2014 because it also has performance-enhancing properties and allows athletes to reduce their weight without suffering a significant loss in performance.
Wiggins was granted a medical exemption ahead of the 2012 Tour de France (Pascal Pavani/AFP via Getty Images)
How often are football players tested?
Due to the random nature of testing, players may experience periods of their career where they are tested frequently or infrequently.
During last year's men's World Cup in Qatar, FIFA conducted 369 tests, resulting in 941 samples. According to official FIFA information, every player was tested at least once a year in the run-up to the tournament.
Players from the eight teams that reached the quarterfinals (Morocco, England, France, Brazil, Argentina, Croatia, Netherlands and Portugal) were tested an average of 4.6 times as of January 2022. Some members of these eight teams were tested up to 10 times.
What happens if a player tests positive?
If traces of a banned substance are found in a player's body, they will be temporarily suspended while further analysis takes place. Pogba's “A” sample showed traces of testosterone. The human body naturally produces testosterone, but exogenous testosterone can be detected by measuring the ratio of testosterone (T) to epitestosterone (E) in an athlete's urine.
When players submit a sample, it is divided into two parts, labeled A and B. If the A sample is positive for a banned substance, the B sample is checked as a precautionary measure, which was the case in Pogba's case. The player can request a B sample examination within three days of a positive test. Once the request is made, the result of this test must be submitted within seven days.
The fight between Eubank (left) and Benn was canceled (Leigh Dawney/Getty Images)
Conor Benn's boxing match against Chris Eubank Jnr in October 2022 was canceled two days before its scheduled date. A substance called clomiphene was found in Benn's body. Clomiphene is on WADA's banned list because it can help increase testosterone levels in an athlete's body. The decision to stop the fight was made before Benn's B sample was analyzed.
In February 2023, the World Boxing Council released a statement saying that Benn had presented a negative analytical result due to a “severely increased consumption of eggs” and that this was “a reasonable explanation”. Benn was reinstated in the WBC rankings and in July the National Anti-Doping Board lifted his ban.
Have there ever been similar incidents in football?
Traces of furosemide were found in Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana's system during his time at Ajax.
The substance was in a pill pack that had been prescribed to Onana's wife after she gave birth, and the goalkeeper had accidentally ingested it. UEFA accepted Onana's version of events, but he was still given a 12-month ban, which was reduced to nine months on appeal.
In July 2022, Atalanta defender Jose Palomino tested positive for Clostebol metabolites. Palomino was unable to play for three months while he waited for a result, but was cleared of accidental infection in September.
However, NADO appealed the arbitration tribunal's decision to CAS.
(Matthew Ashton-AMA/Getty Images)