Recently, heavy news came out of the soccer world that French midfielder star Paul Pouba's career has suffered a major change of heart. Just on Tuesday (12), Juventus officially confirmed that Paul Puba was suspended for the first match of this season's Serie A after an anomaly in a drug test, suspected of violating the use of banned substances. According to the Italian anti-doping organization Nado, if Paul Puba is proven to have intentionally used banned substances, he could face a suspension of two to four years, which almost means that his soccer career could be over.
At one point this summer, Paul Puba was rumored to be moving to a Saudi Arabian side, but he ultimately chose to stay in Serie A to prove himself. He made two appearances as a substitute in the first three rounds of the season, and despite failing to start in the first round against Udinese, he was selected for a drug test after the match, which detected an excessive testosterone index. Testosterone is an anabolic steroid that is purported to boost an athlete's physical performance. Paul Puba will have 3 days to provide a B sample for analysis.
Juventus made it clear in a statement that "Based on the results of Nado's drug test on August 20, we have imposed a precautionary suspension on Paul Puba and the club will reserve the right to make further decisions." For his part, Paul Puba's agent, Bivenda, said, "We are waiting for the results of the B-sample and are unable to make any comments at this time, but what I can assure you is that Paul Puba would never intentionally violate the banned substances regulations."
Nado's rules state that if a player exceeds the testosterone limit in a drug test, the usual standard is a two-year suspension, which can be extended to four years if the violation is proven to be intentional. Italian doctors have said that it is possible for athletes to "accidentally" take banned substances, as many drugs contain testosterone. In July last year, Atalanta's Berolino was suspended for four months after being found guilty of doping, but he successfully appealed his conviction through a B-sample and was eventually found not guilty.
