Pogba Rallies Juventus Teammates Amid Slow Legal Battle

Paul Pogba has made an appearance in the Juventus’ group chat following the win over Lecce, which catapulted the Bianconeri to the top of the table temporarily as Inter didn’t play last week. The midfielder, who’s serving a doping-related preventive suspension, urged his teammates to win for him too, TuttoSport informs.

The prosecutor asked for the standard maximum penalty for the Frenchman, a four-year ban. The trial has truly yet to begin. The initial hearing was postponed following a request from the player’s camp, which hired an expert.

Pogba was initially believed to have tested positive for testosterone, but further analysis revealed the more common Dhea to be the substance in question. His lawyers will try to prove that its ingestion wasn’t intentional or voluntary.

The next steps will take place after February 15^th. The sentence should arrive quickly after the next hearing. The Frenchman would have the faculty to appeal to Lausanne’s CAS if he didn’t like the outcome.

Pogba has been radio silent since the ordeal started. He made some trips to the Middle East to attend the Formula One’s Grand Prix in Bahrain, spent New Year’s Eve in Abu Dhabi and traveled to Miami a couple of times. He has kept in touch with his teammates and has been training on his own, focusing on his family and the legal battle. If he’s found guilty, the disqualification would retroactively begin from September 11^th.