Juventus midfielder Pogba provisionally suspended for doping

Juventus’ Paul Pogba during an Italian Serie A soccer match against Bologna at Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy, Aug. 27, 2023. (AP Photo)
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Updated 11 September 2023
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Juventus midfielder Pogba provisionally suspended for doping

  • Doping test was carried out on the opening day of the Italian Serie A season, a 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20, during which the 30-year-old was an unused substitute
  • Pogba was a star player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph but had an awful 2022-2023 season blighted by injury and a blackmail affair

ROME: Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after a doping control detected the banned substance testosterone, Italian anti-doping authorities (NADO) told AFP on Monday.
“The National Antidoping Tribunal informs that, in acceptance of the instance proposed by the National Antidoping Prosecutor, it has provided for the provisional suspension of the athlete Paul Labile Pogba,” NADO said in a statement to AFP.
NADO said the “prohibited substance detected: Non-endogenous testosterone metabolites,” was consistent with a doping infringement.
The Italian press reported that the doping test was carried out on the opening day of the Italian Serie A season, a 3-0 win at Udinese on August 20, during which the 30-year-old was an unused substitute.
The test concerns the ‘A’ sample, and if the ‘B’ sample also tests positive for testosterone Pogba could face a four-year ban.
NADO sent a statement Monday to clarify reports from earlier in the day in the Italian press regarding Pogba, who was hoping to play for Juventus against Lazio this weekend.
Pogba was a star player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph but had an awful 2022-2023 season blighted by injury and a blackmail affair.
He played just ten games for Juventus that season and missed the 2022 World Cup with France.


US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

Updated 59 min 18 sec ago
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US invests in counter-drone tech to protect FIFA World Cup venues

The US will invest $115 million in counter-drone measures to bolster security around the FIFA World Cup and ​America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday, the latest sign of governments stepping up drone defenses.

The FIFA World Cup will be a major test of President Donald Trump’s pledge to keep the US ‌secure, with over ‌a million travelers expected ‌to ⁠visit ​for ‌the tournament and billions more watching matches from overseas.

The threat of drone attacks has become a growing concern since the war in Ukraine has demonstrated their lethal capabilities. And recent drone incidents have worried both ⁠European and US airports.

“We are entering a new era ‌to defend our air ‍superiority to protect our ‍borders and the interior of the ‍United States,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Defense companies are developing a range of technologies aimed at countering drones, including ​tracking software, lasers, microwaves and autonomous machine guns.

The DHS did not specify ⁠which technologies it would deploy to World Cup venues. The announcement comes weeks after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which sits under DHS, said it granted $250 million to 11 states hosting World Cup matches to buy counter-drone technologies.

Last summer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called on Trump, a Republican, to bolster federal support for ‌defending against drone attacks.