Paul Pogba tests positive for testosterone, Juventus star provisionally suspended

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, the Serie A club have confirmed in a statement.

Italy's anti-doping tribunal Nado revealed the 30-year-old tested positive for testosterone after Juventus' 3-0 win over Udinese on the opening day of the season.

Pogba did not feature in the match but was selected for random testing afterwards.

Juventus said in a statement: "Juventus Football Club announces that today, the footballer Paul Labile Pogba received a precautionary suspension order from the National Anti-Doping Tribunal following the results of tests carried out on August 20, 2023.

"The club reserves the right to consider the next procedural steps."

Nado have said Pogba has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect. He could reportedly face a suspension of up to four years.

Pogba has made just two appearances for Juventus this season, both off the bench.

His return to Juventus has been fraught with difficulty due to injuries and off-field issues, with the 2018 World Cup winner only featuring six times in Serie A last season.

He joined the Italian club for a second spell in July 2022 after leaving Manchester United as a free agent.

As well as battling injury problems, Pogba was allegedly the target of a £11.3m blackmail plot by his brother Mathias and childhood friends.

Pogba said the incident made him consider stepping away from football.

"Money changes people... it can break up a family," he told Al Jazeera in an interview released hours before the news of the provisional ban came to light.

"It can create a war. Sometimes I was just by myself thinking: 'I don't want to have money anymore. I just don't want to play anymore. I just want to be with normal people, so they will love me for me - not for the fame, not for the money.'

"Sometimes it's tough."

He also said he wanted to make his critics "eat their words".

"I want to show them I'm not weak," he added. "They can talk bad about me. I will never give up."

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