Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri stands firmly behind Paul Pogba after the Frenchman was handed a four-year sporting ban for doping offences.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Pogba handed a four-year doping banThe 'B' sample also tested positive Allegri offered support to PogbaGetty WHAT HAPPENED?
The 2018 World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone following Juventus' match against Udinese on August 20, 2023. Pogba's woes deepened when the results of his 'B' sample test also returned positive. Despite the setback, Allegri has voiced unwavering support for the embattled player.
AdvertisementWHAT ALLEGRI SAID
Speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday's clash against Napoli, Allegri said: "I wrote him a message two days ago. On a human level, I'm very sorry, but also from a footballing point of view. This sport is losing an extraordinary and difficult-to-find player who I had the pleasure of coaching. On top of that, Paul is also a very good person."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
In a show of solidarity, Didier Deschamps, manager of the French national team, has also stood by Pogba, asserting his belief in the player's innocence.
"I don't imagine for a single moment that Paul had the intention, the desire, to take drugs. Knowing him well, I know that this is not at all in his state of mind," Deschamps said.
"Just like the judgement announced by the Italian anti-doping tribunal on Thursday, what Paul has experienced these past months has been extremely difficult and I can't be insensitive to his pain, given what he has done with the national team and the relationships that have been formed with the France national team. His situation saddens me and I really hope that things will work out… The presence of an illegal hormone is incontestable."
DID YOU KNOW?
Pogba and his representatives contested the allegations, presenting their case to Mr. Pierfilippo Laviani, the investigator overseeing the matter. However, they were unsuccessful in demonstrating that the 31-year-old was unaware of the substances he had ingested. This forced the National Anti-Doping Tribunal to slap a four-year ban on the player as recommended by the Anti-Doping Prosecutor’s Office.