Tag: Paul Pogba

  • Four year ban imposed on famous French footballer

    Four year ban imposed on famous French footballer

    Famous French footballer Paul Pogba has been banned for four years after testing positive for dope.

    According to media reports, an Italian court has imposed a four-year ban on Pogba, the famous midfielder of France and Italian club Juventus.

    There was a request from doping prosecutors against the footballer, who was part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning team, and was banned for doping positive.

    According to the international anti-doping code, the maximum punishment for a positive doping test is a 4-year ban on football activities. The French international footballer has been banned from playing football till August 2027. But when the ban on the footballer ends, he will be 34-years-old, which is considered to be an age when the career of a football player is over.

    The French footballer expressed regret at the punishment, saying he would appeal against the sentence at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

  • Italian footballer, Locatelli, latest player to snub Coca-Cola

    Italian footballer, Locatelli, latest player to snub Coca-Cola

    Italian footballer Manuel Locatelli is the latest footballer to snub Coca-Cola in a press conference.

    It’s been quite an intriguing journey for Coca-Cola, one of the sponsors of Euro 2020 tournament. After being snubbed by Cristiano Ronaldo at a press conference ahead of Portugal vs Hungary match, the soft drink company was subjected to a similar rejection by Italy’s midfielder.

    Locatelli arrived at the post-match news conference after producing a Man-of-the-Match performance against Switzerland in Italy’s 3-0 win. On spotting the two Coca-Cola bottles placed in front of him, the midfielder decided to remove them from the sight. Locatelli also chuckled a little as he took the bottles out of focus, aware of the stir such an act had created when Ronaldo had done the same a couple of days ago.

    The Italian midfielder, who scored two goals for Italy in the team’s second group-stage match, then picked up a water bottle and put it right in the middle, echoing Ronaldo’s sentiments that one should be drinking water over aerated drinks, but in a subtle manner.

    Earlier, Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola snub had hurt the beverage maker’s brand value quite significantly. It was reported that soon after the Portuguese footballer’s act, Coca-Cola’s stock prices crashed and the brand ended up losing a whopping USD 4 billion from its market value. As Ronaldo urged the world to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the move had huge repercussions.

    Ronaldo and Locatelli aren’t the only ones to snub an official sponsor of the European championships. France midfielder Paul Pogba displayed a similar approach as he picked up a Heineken beer bottle and placed it behind the news conference table.

    After Ronaldo’s gesture, Coca-Cola was forced to release a statement saying: ‘Everyone is entitled to their drink preferences’ and that people have their ‘tastes and needs’.

    Even a Euro 2020 spokesperson addressed the chatter around the topic saying: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conferences.”

    Meanwhile, UEFA warned that the teams could be fined if they move drinks at Euro 2020 news conferences.