Paul Pogba insists he is not a cheater after his doping ban was reduced earlier this month and aims to return to the French national team when his suspension expires in March. there was.
The former Manchester United midfielder had been provisionally suspended since September last year after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), but was handed a four-year ban in February last year. Ta. After a lengthy appeals process, the 31-year-old's suspension was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on October 4.
The CAS ruling found that Pogba's intake of the banned substance was “unintentional” and resulted from him accidentally taking supplements prescribed by a doctor in Florida.
In an interview with Sky Sports News, the 2018 World Cup winner reiterated that he has always been a clean athlete. Pogba said: “I mean, if you look at me, you know me, people know me, so even when everything happened, they said, 'No, I'm sure. We know Paul, he never accepts it.'' If he did know, he either didn't know or didn't do it on purpose. ” And this is completely true.
“I'd like to say that because I'm an honest person. In the end, I would say, 'Yes, I did it because I felt it was necessary,' but that's not the case.” This is not me. I'm not a scammer. I love my sport and I love the game, but that will never happen. I don't like cheating. I like to win fairly and people know that. I understand. You know, I'm a terrible loser, but I'm not a cheater. That's for sure. ”
Pogba is still contracted to Juventus until 2026, but the 91-capped France international has remained tight-lipped about his future with the club, raising questions about where his next move might be. It is possible that his contract with the Serie A club is mutually terminated, but if not, Pogba will return to training with Juve in January and look to restart his international career.
Asked about his return to France, Pogba said: Of course, it's definitely on my mind, but I have to be ready for it. There are players there who deserve to play and deserve to be on the national team. I also have to earn my place on the national team again. Of course I'm ready to fight. ”
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Pogba also offered a glimpse of life after football, vowing to cherish the sport more after briefly thinking his career might be over following his first suspension. “Of course I don't want to lose my level. If I can go above that, that's what I want,” Pogba said. “I don't want my level to change. Even though I'm the same player, I have a different hunger and motivation than before, and I'm getting hungrier. Because the game was taken away from me and I realized how important it is to me. , I'll certainly appreciate the game more than I did before. I'll definitely be the new Paul Pogba on the pitch until the end of my career, now that I've had a little taste of what life will be like. The motivation to stand up and play is the same, but even more so.”
