Paul Pogba Readying for Football Comeback in Dubai After Doping Ban Cut Short

French football star Paul Pogba is expected to return to the field with so much anticipation after he was released by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from his doping ban. The 29-year-old Pogba was banned for four years after being found to test positive for a banned substance in August 2023. The judgment cut down the suspension from an original four years to 18 months. While he will not be back on the field competitive matters-wise until March 2025 with Juventus, for his first game on the pitch since the ban, this November, he will feature in an exhibition game in Dubai.

Paul Pogba’s Reduced Ban: A Second Chance
The future of Paul Pogba’s career was thrown into crisis after he tested positive to DHEA, a substance that enhances the presence of testosterone and has been listed as banned substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA. This positive test, taken in August 2023, could have led the footballer to get a four-year ban and thus ended his football career. Pogba has been having a hard time, either due to injuries or form, and uncertainty as to what the future held for the footballer.

However, following a successful appeal to CAS, Pogba’s suspension was reduced from 18 months to four years, thus having all the chances to continue with his career. The suspension really comes as a big relief for the 31-year-old midfielder, who would most definitely have been kept out of any competitive football well into his latter years with such a ban. Pogba will return to training with Juventus in January 2025 and will be good to go on competitive pitches starting March 2025.

The decrease is ban is set to come as a second chance for Pogba, as considered one of the world’s greatest midfielders. After batting with injuries, inconsistent form, and off-field issues, Pogba will be on the watch to prove that he still belongs at top level.

The Kings Cup in Dubai Pogba’s First Match
While Pogba is to spend months until he steps onto the turf again for competitive football, he will be in action next in a friendly in Dubai on November 30, 2024. The friendly match will be part of the Kings Cup and is scheduled for Al Maktoum Stadium where an array of international legends from football will grace the pitch.

The Kings Cup is an annual football event; previous and current football stars would gather in a unique match exhibition. It will be the third edition of this year, where World Cup winners, Champions League legends, and modern stars of football would be on the pitch. Among the biggest names cutting it is Pogba, whose name is sure to generate huge excitement.

Other prominent players who would grace the event are John Terry, Roberto Carlos, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes, and David Silva. Surely, it’s going to be an extraordinary display of footballing when these heroes come back into action.

Special Rules for Pogba’s Participation
Pogba has been enjoying looking forward to returning to the pitch. But playing for the Kings Cup will come with some special conditions. He is eligible to play for 30 minutes after being handed a doping ban recently. For Pogba, he will play 15 minutes of both first half and second half and the rules are relaxed for him under the current circumstances.

He, along with another Brazilian legend, Roberto Carlos, will not be cautioned by yellow cards or red cards while in the game; it is also impossible for them to get caught offside, thus giving them more freedom on the grass. The special rules exempt him, so he can start playing slowly without the threat of injury or making things worse.

The match will prove to be a symbolic comeback for Pogba, who has not played in a competitive match since September 2023. This means it will be his first chance to present himself and remind the football world of his talent.

Uncertainty regarding Pogba’s future at Juventus
So while Pogba did link up with the club, the Kings Cup for some brightened his future prospects there as uncertainty still hung over his future at Juventus. As of now, the Italian club has not received an official word regarding integrating Pogba into the roster once his ban would be over.

Pogba rejoined his former club, Juventus, in 2022 after leaving Manchester United, but return to the club has been pretty messy marked with injuries and issues off-field. His performances have never been up to expectations, while the doping ban further made hard dealing with his career. Juventus would now be weighing whether to cut his contract or bring him back on one occasion after he is made eligible to play again.

The fate of his second stint at the club will largely depend on how Pogba shapes up in terms of fitness and form when he resumes the training benches in January 2025. Juventus has, over the past few seasons, been about rebuilding a team.

Pogba’s Road to Redemption
Of course, Paul Pogba’s career has been a rollercoaster ride, high and low-from winning the World Cup with France in 2018 to the possibility of a four-year doping ban. He is now getting that second chance with his ban being reduced and his return to the pitch on the horizon.

A little smaller will be the encounter between Pogba and the soccer world as the victory for the Kings Cup in the Dubai friendly means much on his long path of redemption. Even if it’s just a friendly, it would be his first appearance after over a year and give him the stage he needs to remind everybody of his quality.

Looking forward, Pogba’s focus will be on getting back to fitness and returning to Juventus in 2025. Whether it will be fit enough or not, Pogba will seek to seal a fitting return and hand in a proper farewell.

All eyes will be on Paul Pogba as he gets set to make a comeback with a bang. The question that everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for is whether he can reclaim his place within the pantheon of football and write yet another new chapter in the history of his storied career.

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