France and Juventus midfielder, Paul Pogba has disclosed that he would appeal the four-year ban from football by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal after testing positive for testosterone last August.
The French star made this known on Thursday hours after the news broke that he was banned from football for failing a doping test.
He also added that he would appeal the ban penalty, as he said he is not guilty.
A spokesman for the club told AFP it had been notified of the decision against the 30-year-old World Cup winner, who had been provisionally suspended in September.
“We received notification from the tribunal this morning,” the spokesman said. Italy’s anti-doping body did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP.
Pogba announced he would appeal the ruling, which risks bringing a premature end to his career.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” he posted on Instagram.
Declaring the verdict was “incorrect”, he denied ever using performance-enhancing substances.
“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”, he insisted.
“As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
The ban means Pogba will not be able to play again until the 2027/28 season, by which time he will be 34.
Anti-doping prosecutors had called for the four-year ban to be imposed on the former Manchester United midfielder, who tested positive following Juventus’s opening match of the Italian Serie A season against Udinese on August 20, during which he was an unused substitute.
