What Doping Ban Reduction Means For Paul Pogba And Juventus

Paul Pogba in action for Juventus (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

As Juventus took on Cagliari in Turin on Sunday, there was one onlooker who hadn’t been seen at the Allianz Stadium in quite some time as Paul Pogba was spotted sitting in the stands.

The French midfielder had not been involved with the team since last season, initially suspended on September 11, 2023 when non-endogenous testosterone was found following a doping test after Juve’s game against Udinese.

A second test confirmed those results, meaning a suspension was upheld and on February 29, 2024 Pogba received a four-year ban for doping from the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal.

Very little had been seen of the 31 year old since then, but last week his ban was reduced to 18 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, prompting him to appear at his side’s Serie A encounter with the Rossoblu.

New Juve boss Thiago Motta was asked about Pogba at his press conference on Friday, but refused to make any real comment other than to highlight that he has missed a lot of football while banned.

“The club will decide what to do about Pogba” the Coach told reporters. “Pogba was a great player. He hasn’t played for a long time. I’m focussed on tomorrow’s game, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Interestingly, Juventus Sporting Director Cristiano Giuntoli would use the exact same wording when Serie A broadcaster DAZN asked about the club’s position on the player just before kickoff on Sunday.

"For now, we are waiting for the final decision from the CAS, after which we will make a decision,” Giuntoli replied. “It is clear that he was a great player, but he has been out for a long time.”

"Finally the nightmare is over,” said Pogba in a statement issued around the same time. “I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again. I always stated that I never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency regulations when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance the performance of male athletes.

"I play with integrity and, although I must accept that this is a strict liability offence, I want to place on record my thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport's judges who heard my explanation.

"This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold."

On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport issued a statement which confirmed that initial reduction. “The CAS Panel in charge of the matter partially upheld the appeal filed by Paul Pogba,” it read.

“It has confirmed the ADRV but reduced the sanction imposed on the Player to an 18-month period of ineligibility, commencing on 11 September 2023, and cancelled the fine.”

The report from the panel went on to say that Pogba’s ingestion of a banned substance “was not intentional and was the result of erroneously taking a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.

However, it also added that Pogba “was not without fault and that, as a professional football player, he should have paid a greater care in the circumstances.”

It is hard to disagree with that summary, but what that ultimately means now is that the player will be allowed to train with his team-mates again in January and will be allowed to play again in March.

Yet a number of outlets in Italy believe that Juventus will still look to move on from Pogba, with La Gazzetta dello Sport insisting that the club will still be allowed to terminate his contract for failing a doping test.

Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba (Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP via Getty Images)

A number of alternative clubs have been mentioned, with Sky Italia among those believing that the player – currently earning over €10 million ($10.98 million) per season – could be headed to MLS or the Saudi Pro League.

Former team-mate Patrice Evra did offer more insight during an appearance on French podcast Rothen s’enflamme. “I think that 99% we won’t see Paul in Juventus colours again. He needs to turn the page,” he said before going on to suggest he was “going to call” Medhi Benatia, who is currently the sporting director of Olympique Marseille.

Benatia of course played with Pogba at Juve and brought another ex team-mate Adrien Rabiot to the club – currently coached by former Sassuolo and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi – as a free agent back in September.

Juve are not short of options in midfield, with Manuel Locatelli, Nicola Fagioli, Khephren Thuram, Douglas Luiz, Teun Koopmeiners and even Weston McKennie all available as alternatives for Motta.