While the second sample of Paul Pogba was still positive, the substance found in it wasn’t synthetic testosterone but rather Dhea. While still banned, it might help his case, Corriere della Sera informs.
The development didn’t stem from an error on the first test but from the procedure. The two substances have the same metabolites. The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) protocol doesn’t envisage marking down the difference. Instead, the player’s legal consultant, who attended the second examination, did.
Dhea, which has the moniker of ‘hormone of youth,’ is more common in supplements. It makes the infraction somewhat more understandable. Testosterone is an older and rarer drug. In addition, it might allow the Pogba camp to argue that he tested positive because he unknowingly ingested something contaminated by it.
On the other hand, its traces were significant. It suggests that its assumption was recent, disproving the notion that the midfielder took it mistakenly while he was in the United States during the pre-season. He was popped after the opener against Udinese on August 20th.
Pogba will have to prove where the substance comes from and that he was unaware to avoid a lengthy suspension. Otherwise, it’ll range from one to four years. In the meantime, since he’s no longer in limbo, his salary is down to the minimum wage, roughly €46k annually.
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