Juventus recently announced that they have decided to terminate the contract of French midfielder Paul Pogba, even though his doping ban was reduced to 18 months. The decision means that Pogba will be able to return to competitive football in March after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cut his initial four-year suspension handed down by the Italian anti-doping authority NADO. Despite the reduction in his ban, Juventus have chosen to end their relationship with the 31-year-old, whose return to the club from Manchester United in 2022 was marred by several issues on and off the pitch.
In a statement, Juventus stated that they had reached a mutual agreement with Pogba to terminate his contract as of November 30, 2024. Pogba, who initially had a contract that was set to expire in 2026, expressed gratitude to the fans for their support in a social media post. Despite his willingness to give up money to play for Juventus again, the club has decided to part ways with him. Coach Thiago Motta and sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli have referred to Pogba in the past tense, indicating that his time at Juventus has come to an end.
Pogba, who won the World Cup with France in 2018, only started one match for Juventus after rejoining the club in 2022. His last appearance for the team was in September the same year, before he was suspended for testing positive for testosterone. Following a ban from NADO in February, CAS later reduced his punishment. The court acknowledged that Pogba had mistakenly taken a supplement prescribed by a doctor, but also noted that he should have been more careful in his actions as a professional athlete.
During the 2022-23 season, Pogba’s playing time was limited to just 10 appearances due to a knee injury that also caused him to miss the World Cup. In addition to his doping ban and injury, Pogba was also involved in a case of extortion, for which his brother Mathias and five others are facing trial. In Pogba’s absence, Juventus underwent a managerial change and brought in several new players as part of a squad rebuild. Despite these changes, Juventus are currently in sixth place in Serie A but are only two points behind league leaders Napoli. Their next match is against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium.
