Paul Pogba's career at the top level could well be over after anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested a maximum four-year ban for the Juventus midfielder.
Pogba’s positive doping test, in which elevated levels of testosterone were detected, was revealed in September following an exam after Juve’s game at Udinese on August 20. The midfielder has made no public comment on the case.
He has chosen not to make a plea bargain with Italy's anti-doping agency, meaning his case will now be tried by the country's anti-doping court.
Should a four-year ban be confirmed, it would all-but send the 30-year-old into retirement.
Four-year bans are standard practice in the World Anti-Doping code, however, there are many precedents of them being reduced where an athlete can successfully prove they ingested a banned substance unintentionally.
Yet even a reduced sentence – with some observers speculating that a two-year ban is more likely – would leave the 2018 France World Cup winner's career very much in the balance.
The case is another sorry chapter for a player who has been plagued by injuries since rejoining Juventus from Manchester United in July 2022.
He was ruled out of France’s World Cup defence last year by a knee injury and has played just eight Serie A matches for Juve across the past two seasons.
There has also been a police investigation in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists, including by his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
