Rome, 1 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Juventus midfielder and 2018 World Cup champion Paul Pogba has been banned from football for four years for a doping offence, the competent Italian sports court said on Thursday.

The 30-year-old tested positive for excess testosterone in August after a Serie A match between Juve and Udinese. The B sample confirmed the result and he has been provisionally suspended since the beginning of September.

Pogba has since admitted to having taken a dietary supplement.

The ruling means Pogba will be unable to play until 2027, when he will be 33, with the ban backdated to the date of the failed test. He can still appeal against the verdict.

The player said in a statement posted on Instagram that he believes "that the verdict is incorrect."

"I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.

"When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations."

The French midfielder added that he has "never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against."

Pogba said he would appeal the ban before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Pogba rejoined Italian record champions Juve in 2022 from Manchester United, having previously played for the Bianconeri from 2012-16.

Photo: archive