Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba has been temporarily suspended after a doping control detected the banned substance testosterone, Italian anti-doping authorities stated on Monday.
“The National Anti-doping Tribunal informs that, in acceptance of the instance proposed by the National Antidoping Prosecutor, it has provided for the provisional suspension of the athlete Paul Labile Pogba,” NADO said in a statement to AFP.
NADO said the “prohibited substance detected: Non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”, was consistent with a doping violation.
The doping test was carried out on the opening day of the Italian Serie A season, a 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20, during which the 30-year-old was an unused substitute.
Following test ‘A’ sample, if the ‘B’ sample also tests positive for testosterone Pogba could face a four-year ban.
NADO issued a statement Monday to clarify reports from earlier in the day in the Italian press regarding Pogba, who was anticipating being on the lineup for Juventus against Lazio this weekend.
Pogba was a star player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph but had an awful 2022-2023 season impaired by injury and a blackmail affair.
He featured only in ten games for Juventus that season and missed the 2022 World Cup with France.