Juventus star Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended for testing positive for a banned substance on Monday, the club announced.
The Italian Anti-Doping Organization (Nado Italia) found elevated testosterone levels in the 30-year-old's system after a test was performed during Juventus' 3-0 season-opening win in Serie A against Udinese on August 20.
Nado Italia said that the France international violated anti-doping rules after the substances found were "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites," meaning that the testosterone was not of internal origin.
The tribunal added that the results were "consistent with the exogenous origin of the target compounds," confirming that the extra testosterone levels found were from an external source.
The midfielder has three days to produce a counter-analysis of the results to Nado Italia. Pogba did not play during the season opener.
Paul Pogba risks multi-year ban from football
Pogba is now waiting for the results of the B sample test. If found guilty of doping, he could face a multi-year suspension ranging from two to four years.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner's contract with Juventus lasts until 2026.
Pogba was once the most expensive player in the world after Premier League club Manchester United paid a then-world record $110 million to re-acquire him from Juventus.
He was formerly a Red Devils player, having entered the club's academy in 2009 and played under Sir Alex Ferguson until 2012.
Pogba has since returned to Juventus in July 2022.
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