France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for a doping offence.
Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy's national anti-doping tribunal (NADO Italia) in September after testing positive for testosterone, a banned substance.
Italian prosecutors requested a maximum four-year ban in December.
Pogba tested positive for testosterone after Juventus' match against Udinese on August 20, 2023. He did not play in the match, but was on the bench.
Reports claim that Pogba will appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. ESPN has contacted Pogba's representatives for comment.
Pogba chose not to reach an agreement with Italy's anti-doping agency and so the case was tried before the country's anti-doping court. A person with direct knowledge of the case confirmed the verdict to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the ruling was not made public due to Italy's privacy laws.
Four-year bans are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code, but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove that their doping was unintentional, if the positive test was the result of contamination, or if they provide “substantial assistance” to help researchers. .
The 30-year-old returned to Juventus in 2022 after his second spell at Manchester United. Since his return to Italy he has been hampered by injuries. He played in 178 games for Juventus between 2012 and 2016.
He was ruled out of France's run to the 2022 World Cup final due to a knee injury.
There has also been an ongoing police investigation in France into allegations that Pogba was targeted by extortionists, including his older brother Mathias, who has denied any wrongdoing.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this article.
