Paul Pogba will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), after being banned from competition for four years because of testing positive for a banned substance.

After the Italian Anti-Doping Court issued its verdict on the afternoon of February 29, Pogba said he would appeal to CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland. If CAS supports Pogba’s appeal, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is likely to appeal itself to the Swiss Federal Court, which will make the final decision.

Pogba was tested for doping on August 20, 2023, after the opening match of Serie A between Juventus and Udinese. The 30-year-old midfielder sat on the bench in this match. Tests showed that Pogba’s body contained DHEA, a substance that increases testosterone. A second sample also tested positive in October.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has temporarily banned Pogba from playing since September as a precaution. Juventus also gave the French player a break from training from then on, and reduced his salary to 2,700 USD per month in accordance with the agreement between the clubs and the Players Association.

On the afternoon of February 29, the Italian Anti-Doping Court issued a decision to suspend Pogba for four years, based on the recommendation of the FIGC prosecutor. If he serves this sentence, Pogba will have to rest until he is 34 years old and will not have many opportunities to return to top competition.

After hearing the news, Pogba emphasized that the above ruling was incorrect and would appeal. “I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I built in my career was taken away. I never knowingly used any banned substances,” his statement read.

Pogba returns to Juventus from the summer of 2022, after a free transfer from Man Utd. Due to a long-term injury, he only played 10 matches last season and two matches this season for the “Old Lady”. Previously, he won four Serie A, two Italian Cups, two Italian Super Cups in the period 2012-2016 with Juventus, one Europa League and one League Cup in the period 2016-2022 with Man Utd.

Pogba was also a key member of the French team that won the 2018 World Cup. In the final of this tournament, they won 4-2 against Croatia, he contributed a goal to increase the score to 3-1.