With 2023 drawing to an eventful end, here's a look at five of the year's biggest football scandals, involving the likes of Paul Pogba, Dani Alves, and a player who is alleged to have stabbed his own cousin!
Paul Pogba - Alleged doping
In September 2023, Pogba made headlines yet again for the wrong reasons when it was announced that he had tested positive for testosterone. The news came within a year-long period in which he had missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar through injury, while there was also a "witchcraft" scandal hanging over his head after he was accused by his brother, Mathias Pogba, of casting spells on Kylian Mbappe. Although injuries have blighted his career over the past two seasons – limiting him to a shockingly low 12 appearances since joining Juventus in July 2022 – the doping scandal is perhaps the greatest threat facing his life as a footballer.
It is reported that he could serve a four-year ban under the World Anti-Doping Code, which is the maximum sentence the Italian anti-doping prosecutors have requested. The ban may be reduced but the former Manchester United star would need to prove that the doping was unintentional or that his positive test results may have been contaminated. The initial sample that came out positive was taken after his team's clash against Udinese in August. After the results were announced in September, Pogba asked for a re-analysis of the sample but this came out positive again. One of the finest midfielders of his generation, a maximum four-year ban would completely shatter his career at the age of just 30, although a final resolution on the matter is yet to be confirmed.
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Dani Alves - Alleged rape
The Brazilian footballer was put behind bars in January 2023 on charges of sexual assault. The alleged incident is said to have happened at a nightclub in Barcelona in December 2022. Alves has been in prison since his arrest and he was denied bail due to being a potential flight risk. According to reports in Spain, if the player were to flee to his native country of Brazil, Spanish authorities would be unable to apprehend him as there is no extradition agreement between the two nations. The scandal emerged as a huge shock after the 40-year-old had made the headlines in December for being the third-oldest appearance-maker at the Qatar FIFA World Cup. While his trial has been set for 5-7 February 2024, the right-back maintains he had consensual sex with his accuser, according to Reuters.
Quincy Promes - Drug-dealing charges
In January 2023, the Dutch winger was sentenced to 18 months in jail for stabbing his cousin during a family gathering in 2020. He was not jailed in the Netherlands, where the assault occurred, due to the fact he plays for Spartak Moscow and Russian laws prevent his arrest in the country. Things took another sharp decline for the former Ajax Amsterdam star in May, however, when he was accused of smuggling 1 360kg of cocaine to the Netherlands and Belgium in two shipments in 2020, according to ESPN. With the drugs estimated to have a street value of £65 million (R1.5 billion), Promes failed to appear in an Amsterdam court alongside his co-accused on 31 October.
Luis Rubiales - The kiss
The disgraced football chief left many in disbelief when he was seen grabbing Spain women's star Jenni Hermoso by the face and inappropriately kissing her on the lips after the FIFA Women's World Cup final in August. What made it even more brazen was that Rubiales committed this act on stage during a medals ceremony after Spain had just won the decider. The aftermath was catastrophic for the executive as he was forced to resign as the president of the Spanish football federation in September. Later, in October, he was banned for three years by FIFA for misconduct.
Manchester City - Charged with more than 100 FFP breaches
In February this year, Manchester City were charged with 115 breaches of financial fair play regulations. Per Sky Sports, the Premier League accused Pep Guardiola's side of failing to provide "accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club's financial position" after a four-year investigation. These charges are said to relate to a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The Evening Standard claims that the two parties will stand in front of an independent panel, and if found guilty, the club could face a points deduction, relegation, or even expulsion from the EPL.
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