After being banned by the Italian anti-doping authority, Paul Pogba has finally found some support. His France teammate Kingsley Coman and coach Didier Deschamps have backed the Juventus player to prove his innocence.
Pogba was provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone, a hormone which increases the endurance of athletes.
If Pogba is found guilty, he could be banned from playing football for at least four years. Reports in Italy say he has until the end of the week to submit a counter-analysis of the results.
In spite of the reports, the French duo of Coman and Deschamps have defended the midfielder after their 2-1 loss to Germany on Tuesday.
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In the post-match press conference, coach Didier Deschamps was asked about Pogba’s anti-doping offence.
He said, “I can’t imagine that, knowing him, with everything that is in his head. I still remember certain discussions with him on the vaccine and Covid… The substance there is, but afterwards, unless there is a second opinion.”
“I don’t think he himself knows [why] unfortunately. It’s hard for him. I have always supported him,” Deschamps added.
Bayern Munich player Coman, who shared the French dressing room with Pogba for long, has defended the midfielder, saying Pogba is part of the family.
“We all support Paul, he’s a very close friend, he’s part of the family. We don’t really know more, we’ll have to look. But we know Paul, we knows that if something happened, it was surely unconsciously, without intention. We are with him wholeheartedly,” Coman said.
Following his return to Juventus from Manchester United in 2022, Paul Pogba has experienced a difficult period. The 2018 FIFA World Cup champion was sidelined for the majority of the following season due to knee and hamstring injuries, and has reportedly revealed that he was close to leaving the sport after being blackmailed by an organised crime group.
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