Italian prosecutors request a 4-year suspension for Paul Pogba in doping case

Italian anti-doping prosecutors have requested this Thursday the maximum suspension of four years for the French footballer Paul Pogba of Juventus, after he tested positive for testosterone in September.

'I can confirm that we received this notification from the anti-doping authority this morning, with four years [of suspension] demanded,' said a source from the Turin club quoted by the France-Presse agency.

The positive test for testosterone, a substance that is an anabolic steroid and helps to accelerate muscle development, came after a routine check by the Italian league during the match between Juventus and Udinese on August 20, in which he did not play any minutes on the field.

To explain this positive test, the player's representation announced in September that the testosterone metabolites came from a dietary supplement prescribed by a doctor the player consulted in the United States.

Pogba, 30, has chosen not to make a plea bargain and will be tried, thus risking a maximum penalty of four years. This can be reduced if the player proves that it was not intentional, if the positive test results from contamination, or if he provides 'substantial assistance' to help investigators, according to the World Anti-Doping Code.

The French international, who played 178 matches in his first stint at Juventus from 2012 to 2016, only played six games in the previous season of the Italian league and two in the current edition, in a second stint marked by various injuries and now by the suspension imposed by the body governing Italian football.

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