"I'm sad, shocked and heartbroken because everything I've built in my career as a professional player has been taken away from me". This is how Paul Pogba responds on Instagram to the news of his four-year sentence imposed by the National Anti-Doping Court, which accepted the National Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office's request for the maximum sanction against the thirty-year-old Juventus star. The French national tested positive on August 20 after the Udinese-Juventus (0-3) league encounter, in which he sat on the bench for the whole game. Subsequently, the counter-analyses ordered by Pogba verified the positive results. However, it doesn't stop there: "As a result of the decision announced today, I will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport," announces the footballer, before assuring: "When I am free of legal restrictions, the whole story will be clear; I have never knowingly or deliberately taken supplements that violate anti-doping regulations. As a professional athlete, I would never use forbidden substances to increase my performance, and I have never insulted or cheated athletes or fans on any of the teams I have played for or against". (Credit Muhammad Ashiq)
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