Paul Pogba’s former France teammate, Rio Mavuba, believes that the Juventus player was tricked into taking a banned substance which saw him being hit with a four-year ban.
The former Manchester United midfielder was sanctioned last month after a failed drug test in August showed that he had tested positive for testosterone.
Pogba has maintained his innocence since the matter first came up and his representatives have vowed to appeal the ruling, claiming the substance was taken by accident.
“As a professional athlete, I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against,” Pogba wrote after the ruling.
The most controversial opinion on the matter is held by Pogba’s 2014 Fifa World Cup teammate Mavuba, though, who believes the 30-year-old was “tricked” into consuming the substance.
“I am in no doubt about Paul’s sincerity and I think he may have been somewhat tricked,” Mavuba told Telefoot.
Pogba has received an outpouring of support from colleagues, with Juventus teammate Adrien Rabiot saying that the dressing room was “devastated” by the news.
“We’re talking to Paul. He’s trying to keep his head up even when everything is falling on him. I hope he will come out of this as best he can because having all of this to deal with at once is a lot,” he said.
Dehydroepiandrosterone is a hormone that is naturally produced in the adrenal gland. It is available in synthetic tablet form which people use for anti-ageing and depression. It is banned for professional footballers.
Pictured above: Banned soccer star Paul Pogba.
Image source: @paulpogba
