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Footballer Paul Pogba breaks his silence and admits he is ‘sad, shocked and heartbroken’ after being banned for four years for doping

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French forward,  Paul Pogba has broken his silence after receiving a four-year ban for doping.

He tested positive for testosterone after Juventus’ first game of the season and was given his punishment by an anti-doping prosecutor’s office in Italy on Thursday.

Pogba’s lawyers had rejected a plea deal and hoped to get their client a lighter sentence after claiming he had accidentally ingested the substance that caused the positive test, DHEA.

However, the prosecution did not believe Pogba’s defence, and he has now been given a ban that could potentially end his career.

He said: ‘I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping’s decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect.

‘I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me.

‘When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations.

‘As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.

‘As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.’

Pogba’s suspension completes a dramatic fall from grace for a player who was once the most expensive footballer in the world.

After coming through United’s academy, Pogba moved to Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and proceeded to win four straight Serie A titles.

He returned to Old Trafford in 2016 for a world-record fee of £89m.

Pogba won the World Cup with France two years later, scoring in the final against Croatia, but struggled to hit the same heights at club level.

During his six years back in England, Pogba won the Europa League and League Cup with United, but failed to turn them into Premier League title contenders.

He left the 13-time Premier League champions on a free transfer for the second time in 2022 to go back to Juventus as he aimed to resurrect his career.

Pogba started just one game all season after being sidelined with knee, groin and hamstring problems.

He was named on the bench for their opening match of the 2023-24 season, but was an unused substitute in their 3-0 win at Udinese.

Following that match, he returned a test that has led to him receiving a four-year ban.

The substance found in his system was DHEA, which can naturally boost levels of testosterone.

Pogba requested for his B-sample to be tested, but this also came back positive in October, leading to Juventus contemplating terminating his contract.

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EPL: Fulham must move on from defeat to Manchester City — Iwobi

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Alex Iwobi says Fulham must stay positive despite their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.

Marco Silva’s side put up a spirited display in the encounter, and were unlucky not to get at least one point.

Iwobi started the fight back by scoring the second goal for Fulham early in the second half.

The versatile midfielder’s compatriot, Samuel Chukwueze then rose from the bench to score two more goals for the Cottagers.

Manchester City, however, held on to go home with maximum points.

Iwobi stated that they deserved more from the game.

“I feel disappointed because we didn’t get anything out of the fighting spirit that we showed, but I think we have to take the positivity from the game,” Iwobi told the club’s official website.

Fulham will be away to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Sunday.

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EPL: Guardiola names team that impresses him everyday

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Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has named the Premier League club that has impressed him so much this season.

The Spaniard said that Enzo Maresca’s side have really impressed him with the improvement they make everyday.

Speaking after Manchester City beat Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Guardiola pointed out that a team must remain consistent to win the title.

Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points behind Arsenal with the victory over Fulham, but the Gunners could maintain their five points lead with a win over Brentford on Wednesday night.

“Chelsea impresses me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long,” he told reporters after the win.

“Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we in December, January or February we were behind.

“The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.

“But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.”

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Outrage As ‘Biological Male’ Wins World’s Strongest Woman Event in Texas (Photos)

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The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked outrage after an alleged transgender athlete won gold.

American Jammie Booker, who is accused of being a biological male, beat Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson to victory at the event in Arlington, Texas.

According to Mail Online, Thompson walked off the podium, appearing to say ‘this is bulls***,’ while Booker celebrated. The Brit has since been crowned the ‘true World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of World’s Strongest Woman, has sensationally claimed that no one – not even the organizers – knew about Booker’s background.

Details on the American are not clear, but the publication sighted a YouTube video – uploaded to what appears to be Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017, with Booker saying: ‘Everyone is dying to tell their own story and I am obviously no exception to that.

‘I’m 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.’

On Monday night, Roberts posted a picture on Instagram that read ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the picture: ‘I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.

But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.

This isn’t about identity. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.

‘What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack.

‘My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.

‘I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025’

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