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Coman & Deschamps support Pogba after failed drug test
France national team manager Didier Deschamps and Kingsley Coman have rallied behind Paul Pogba following his recent failed drug test at Juventus.
Pogba faced provisional suspension by the Italian anti-doping authority after testing positive for testosterone, a hormone known to enhance endurance in athletes. If found guilty, the 30-year-old midfielder could face a football ban of up to four years as a result of the random drug test. Reports suggest that Pogba has until later this week to provide a counter-analysis of the test result.
Despite the situation, Didier Deschamps, who has been working with Pogba since taking over as the manager of the French national team in 2012, expressed his disbelief that Pogba would commit such an offense. Deschamps has a longstanding professional relationship with Pogba and appears to support him in this challenging situation.
“I can’t imagine that, knowing him, with everything that is in his head. I still remember certain discussions with him on the vaccine and Covid… The substance there is, but afterwards, unless there is a second opinion…,” he said to reporters. “I don’t think he himself knows [why] unfortunately. It’s hard for him. I have always supported him.”
Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, who has been a teammate of Paul Pogba in the French national team for several years, has voiced his belief in Pogba’s innocence and added his support to the Juventus midfielder. Coman appears to stand by Pogba and disputes any wrongdoing on his part in this matter.
“We all support Paul, he’s a very close friend, he’s part of the family,” he told reporters. “We don’t really know more, we’ll have to look. But we know Paul, we knows that if something happened, it was surely unconsciously, without intention. We are with him wholeheartedly.”
Paul Pogba has faced a difficult period at Juventus since his return to the Italian club from Manchester United in 2022. The 2018 World Cup-winning midfielder was sidelined for much of the last season due to knee and hamstring injuries. He also made headlines by revealing that he had contemplated quitting football after reportedly being targeted by an organized crime gang involved in extortion. These challenges have undoubtedly added to the adversity he has faced in his career.