But the Anti-Doping Prosecutor’s Office dismissed Pogba’s pleas and handed him a four-year ban in February — effectively ending the French World Cup winner’s playing career.
However, Pogba was handed a major lifeline this month after taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
And it means Pogba will be available to play again from March 2025, while he can train with his club from January.
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But it appears that will not be at Juventus, with Fabrizio Romano claiming all parties are now close to agreeing a deal that will see Pogba terminate his Turin contract.
The midfielder played just twice at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
And new Juve boss Thiago Motta has since taken his squad in a fresh direction.
Pogba himself is said to agree that a new start is the best course of action.
And he will start looking for a club once he becomes a free agent.
Paul Pogba was brought back to Man Utd to HUMILIATE Sir Alex Ferguson – I told him not to return, says Patrice Evra
Juventus chiefs certainly had a cool reaction to the news of Pogba’s imminent availability.
Speaking before the 1-1 draw with Cagliari, boss Motta said: “The club will decide what to do with Pogba.
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“For me, he was a great player, he hasn’t played for a long time.”
Sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli added: “He was a great player but he’s been out of action for a long time.”
What is DHEA?
PAUL POGBA tested positive for elevated levels of DHEA, a hormone that naturally occurs in the adrenal gland, in August 2023.
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DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone, can be used to naturally boost testosterone production. It does not produce testosterone itself.
It is on the world anti-doping banned substances list and carries a maximum of four years if the athlete took it deliberately to enhance their performance.
DHEA can legally be sold over-the-counter in the US as a dietary product, known as prasterone.
It is also taken as an anti-ageing therapy, and to treat depression and the symptoms of menopause, although there is little evidence to suggest it is effective, and it can cause serious side effects.
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In 2022, UFC fighter Bobby Green received a six-month ban after testing positive for a DHEA.
Green said he had not realised that DHEA was banned after seeing a video on YouTube, and took the supplement after his wife bought it from a supermarket.
Como’s Marco Curto has been given a 10-match ban by Fifa, with five them of them suspended, for racially abusing Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan in a pre-season friendly.
The incident happened in the the second half of the game in Marbella in July – with Hwang’s team-mate Daniel Podence sent off for a punch in the aftermath.
Wolves complained to the Italian Football Association and to Uefa, which said it was powerless to act because it was not a Uefa match.
“The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behaviour and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a Fifa spokesperson said.
“Serving of half of those matches is suspended for a probation period of two years, and the player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organisation approved by Fifa.”
Italian defender Curto, 25, joined Serie B side Cesena on a season-long loan the week after the Wolves match.
SALT LAKE CITY – Roman Dolidze beat Kevin Holland with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Take a look inside the fight with Dolidze, who got the win when Holland’s coach stopped the fight after the first round due to a rib injury.
Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland
Roman Dolidze
Result:Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland via TKO (injury retirement) – Round 1, 5:00 Updated records: Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), Holland (26-12 MMA, 13-9 UFC) Key stats: Dolidze’s takedown led to nearly three minutes of control time and may have done something to help cause Holland’s fight-ending injury.
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Dolidze on the fight’s key moment
Kevin Holland after UFC 307 loss to Roman Dolidze
“Honest answer: No, (I wasn’t unsatisfied). A win is a win. I don’t want to create a beautiful image (of my win), but it is how it is. We all get something happen with us – I have torn biceps, torn chest, a lot of different crazy injuries. I know how it is.”
Dolidze on getting his black belt
“They didn’t expect. I can expect everything, but not black belt. It’s like out of nowhere. All of these (jiu-jitsu) belts, I wasn’t thinking about it. And now black belt. It’s a big gift.”
Dolidze on what he wants next
Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
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“I would like to fight in December (against) the winner or loser of the Khamzat (Chimaev) and (Robert) Whitaker fight because both of these fighters are incredible – good fighters. I respect them, and as always, I want to test myself with the best. I think these guys are best in our division.”
To hear more from Dolidze, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
UFC 307 images
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
SASHA ATTWOOD has been key in keeping boyfriend Jack Grealish’s spirits high after he missed out on a Euro 2024 spot for England.
The childhood sweethearts first started dating when they were teenagers at school together in Solihull and have now announced the arrival of their first child.
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Sasha Attwood has been with Manchester City footballer Jack Grealish since 2016Credit: Getty
She’s got more than 264,000 followers on Instagram – where she regularly shares stunning selfies and snaps.
ALL THE FALLOUT
ENGLAND fell at the final hurdle at Euro 2024, losing to a dramatic late Mikel Oryazabal winner as Spain won the tournament.
Much like her partner, Sasha hails from Birmingham.
In December 2023, The Sun revealed that around ten relatives were cheering on the Manchester City star in his televised match at Everton when they heard noises upstairs and dogs barking frantically.
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Read More on Jack Grealish
The terrified family then hit panic buttons as a gang of burglars looted his new home.
The shaken group — including fiancée Sasha Attwood, his parents, gran, two sisters and brother — dashed for cover at the unfamiliar mansion which Jack moved into just before Christmas.
Despite extensive security and perimeter fencing around Jack’s lavish home, the crooks got in and fled with £1million of watches and jewellery.
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A source told The Sun: “The family are really shaken.
“The gang took a lot of watches and jewellery.
“They executed their raid when Manchester City were playing live on TV and all his family had gathered downstairs to cheer him on.
“No one was injured but there was a lot of panic.
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“Everyone was terrified as they were all so vulnerable.
“It’s an enormous property, so it is understandable why no one heard anything at first.
“It was also the first time the family had visited so they were unfamiliar with the property.
“When the dogs went mad, and they could hear people creeping about, they pressed the security panic alarm.
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“An emergency unit responded immediately, with multiple police cars and a chopper deployed. Initially, they feared they could be facing a hostage situation or worse.”
Jack and model and influencer Sasha bought the “exceptional modern” seven-bed mansion set in 24 acres last year but have only just moved in.
However, that gave him the chance to enjoy some R&R alongside his long-term partner – and support her as the pair revealed in July, 2024 they were expecting a baby.
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Sasha took to social media to share the news with her followers.
She captioned a picture of the baby bump with: “Half of me , half of you – beyond blessed ✨🤍🙏🏻”
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Sasha and Jack Grealish shared their joy at becoming parents on Instagram.
On October 7, 2024, Grealish announced on his own Instagram their daughter had arrived.
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The doting father shared an image of the baby gripping a finger with the caption “Mila Rose Grealish 27/09/24”.
When did Sasha Attwood start dating Jack Grealish?
Sasha and Jack Grealish have been together since they were 16.
They met while attending St Peter’s Roman Catholic Secondary School in Solihull, West Midlands.
It is not known if they remained as a couple for all of that time.
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Meet the WAGS of the England footballers
England Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.
Middleweight contender Roman Dolidze handed Holland a rough loss this past Saturday at UFC 307, with their bout ending at the very end of the opening round when it was ruled Holland could not continue due to a rib injury suffered while Dolidze attacked him on the ground. Holland looked like he wanted to come out for Round 2, but the bout was eventually waved off.
Holland later replied to an internet troll on Instagram, who wrote him a vulgar message (screenshot courtesy of The Fight Bubble):
Holland captioned the Instagram Story post, “Can’t have a response to everyone but yeah I feel like a total piece of shit. My bad to all the ones who put some bread on the line or told they friend I was gonna win. I’m a p*ssy.”
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The screenshot also contains a DM reply from Holland, in which he wrote, “I feel like a piece of shit. Rib pain like a vagina.”
With the loss, Holland has now dropped three of his past four fights competing in both the middleweight and welterweight divisions. The extent of his rib injury is unknown.
City were charged and referred to an independent commission in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.
It is alleged City breached the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
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“I don’t think this will have too much of a direct impact but this will probably give Manchester City a slight bounce because they’ve been found to be correct in a couple of narrow areas,” said Leaf.
“But equally, I think the Premier League will be relieved, especially after the recent Leicester decision where their rulebook was heavily criticised by an esteemed panel.”
He was referring to Leicester’s successful appeal against an alleged breach of Premier League financial rules – which means they are set to avoid any punishment.
Leicester successfully argued that because their 2022-23 accounting period ended on 30 June, they were not longer bound by Premier League rules – because they had just been relegated to the Championship – and so could not be found in breach.
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Leaf added: “The fact that the majority of the Premier League’s rules have been found to be lawful and OK will probably come as a relief to them.”
BBC Sport’s chief football news reporter Simon Stone said: “The fierce manner in which City have responded to the verdict, allied to the knowledge they are currently fighting the substantive issue of 115 financial breaches, suggests they have spotted a weakness in the Premier League’s regulations which they will look to exploit as far as they can.”
England’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo have been ruled out of England’s Nations League games in October.
The Three Lions host Greece at Wembley on Thursday before playing Finland in Helsinki on Sunday.
Interim manager Lee Carsley is not planning to add anybody to the squad in their place.
The other 22 players named in his initial squad have all reported to St George’s Park.
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Nottingham Forest midfielder Gibbs-White, who made his England debut last month, was injured while having a shot blocked in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Aston Villa defender Konsa suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s goalless draw with Manchester United.
United midfielder Mainoo was replaced in the closing stages of that match.
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