TURIN, Oct 6 — Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has tested positive for testosterone in a counter-analysis on a second sample, Sky Sports and ANSA news agency reported on Friday, without citing a source.
Pogba was provisionally suspended last month after a test, performed after Juve’s 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on August 20, detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
Italy’s national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal refused to comment on Pogba’s case citing privacy rules. Juventus also refused to comment on the case.
His agent Rafaela Pimenta said at the time that Pogba had never intended to break the rules. Reuters has contacted Pimenta, who was not immediately available for comment.
If found guilty of doping, Pogba could be suspended for between two and four years. His contract with Juve expires in June 2026.
The 30-year-old Pogba was an unused substitute in the win at Udinese. — Reuters