Paul Pogba’s agent insists he had no intention of breaking doping rules following a failed test that has left him facing a possible lengthy ban.
The former Manchester United midfielder, 30, was given a precautionary suspension by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal after a sample last month when Pogba was an unused substitute in Juventus’ win against Udinese.
His representative, Rafaela Pimenta, has issued a statement with an unusual wording, saying her client “never wanted to break the rules”.
“We are waiting for the counter analysis and until then we can’t say anything. The certain thing is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break the rules,” said the statement.
Pogba was handed a provisional suspension because of elevated levels of testosterone in his system. He could receive a ban from two to four years if found guilty. Pogba has three days to produce a counter-analysis of the result.
The French World Cup winner moved back to Juve at the start of last season after his contract ran down at United, where he was a Premier League record transfer when he arrived in 2016 for £89.3million. However, his first season back in Turin saw him suffer a series of injury setbacks, causing caused him to miss the 2022 World Cup with France.
Pogba has made two appearances this season, against Bologna and Empoli, both as second-half substitutes. His long-term contract runs until 2026 with Juve.
News of Pogba’s failed test came on the same day as an interview with the midfielder in which he said he considered retiring from football over alleged extortion and threats from an organised gang, including his older brother Mathias.
Pogba had filed a complaint with Turin prosecutors in July last year claiming he was the target of a €13m scheme that saw his brother detained three months later, but his sibling denied all the allegations against him and was released in December under judicial review.
Speaking to Al Jazeera about the impact the incident had on him, Pogba said: “When there is money you have to be careful. Money changes people. It can break up a family. 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. This life, you have to go through it. It will only make me stronger.”