Paul Pogba ‘shocked and heartbroken’ at four-year ban for positive drugs test

Paul Pogba tested positive for testosterone, a banned substance, after Juventus’ game against Udinese last August. Photograph: Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images

The France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has said he is “sad, shocked and heartboken” after being handed a four-year ban from football for a doping offence.

Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping body, Nado Italia, at a tribunal in September last year. The 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone – a banned substance – after Juve’s 3-0 league win at Udinese on 20 August, with a B sample confirming the positive result in October.

A Juventus spokesman told the Guardian that “this morning we received the notice from the anti-doping agency that [Pogba] has been disqualified for four years”. Pogba, whose club contract runs until 2026, has confirmed he will appeal to the court of arbitration over what he called an “incorrect” verdict.

“I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe the verdict is incorrect,” Pogba wrote on Instagram. “I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.”

“When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations,” the 2018 World Cup winner added.

“As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against. As a consequence of the decision announced today, I will appeal this before the court of arbitration for sport.”

Pogba turns 31 in March and will be almost 35 by the time his ban is completed in 2028, so the ban could spell the end of his career if his appeal is unsuccessful. He has endured a torrid second spell with Juve owing to knee and hamstring injuries since he returned to Italy on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2022.

Nado Italia did not offer any response to a request from The Guardian on Thursday, citing Italian privacy laws.