It might be my last World Cup, says Pogba

Argentina and Nigeria will be battling it out for a last-16 spot of Group D in the World Cup at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg.

Argentina are currently enduring their longest winless run in a first-round World Cup group stage in history. Nigeria, on the other hand, has an advantage over Argentina in terms of points but has lacked consistently so far in the Group Stage. Nigeria are second in their group and could qualify should they beat Argentina. The South American side, however, still have a final shot at making it to the last 16 if they are to beat Nigeria, and if Croatia managed to avoid defeat to Iceland.

The match is scheduled to start at 12:00 am in Bangladesh time. Let’s look at some of the statistics ahead of the thrilling encounter.

     Head-to-head:

1. In each of the last four World Cups Nigeria have qualified for (2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018) they have been drawn in the same group as Argentina. They were also in the same group in 1994.
2. The Super Eagles have lost all four of their previous World Cup games against Argentina, with all of those defeats by single-goal margins (1-0 in 2002 and 2010, 2-1 in 1994, 3-2 in 2014).
3. The Nigerians lost a group game to Paraguay at the 1998 tournament, so have been defeated in all five of their World Cup matches versus South American opposition.

    Nigeria

1. Nigeria's six World Cup wins have all come against European sides - they have never beaten opposition from another continent.
2. The only previous time the Super Eagles won back-to-back World Cup games was in 1998, when they defeated Spain and Bulgaria in their first two matches.
3. Victory would ensure Nigeria reach the knock-out stage for a second successive World Cup, and for the fourth time in six appearances overall.
4. Ahmed Musa is Nigeria's all-time top scorer at the World Cup with four goals - two against Iceland at this tournament, and two versus Argentina in 2014.

   Argentina

1. The only previous time Argentina have failed to win a game at a World Cup was in 1934, when the tournament was a straight knock-out. They selected an inexperienced, amateur squad, and lost 3-2 to Sweden in the first round.
2. They have never completed a first round group stage at a World Cup without at least one win.
3.  The Argentines are enduring their longest winless run in World Cup history (D2, L2), although that four-match streak includes the 2014 semi-final against the Dutch, which they won on penalties.
4. They last lost back-to-back World Cup games in 1994 (against Bulgaria and Romania). They have never lost consecutive games in the opening group stage.
5. Lionel Messi has failed to score with his last 22 shots in matches at World Cup finals.
6. But over the last two years he has scored 14 goals in 18 games for Argentina.

French international footballer Paul Pogba said Friday his "nightmare is over" after a four-year ban for doping was reduced to 18 months.

Pogba, who is under contract with Italian giants Juventus until 2026, will be able to return to competitive football from March 11 next year, four days before his 32nd birthday.

"Finally the nightmare is over. I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again," the player said in a statement released to Britain's Press Association.

"I always stated that I never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance the performance of male athletes.

"I play with integrity and, although I must accept that this is a strict liability offence, I want to place on record my thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport's judges who heard my explanation.

"This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold."

Earlier Friday, a spokesperson for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed that Pogba's suspension had been slashed.

"I can confirm the decision: an 18-month suspension with effect from 11 September 2023. The reasons for the decision will follow later," the CAS spokesperson told AFP.

Pogba tested positive for testosterone in August 2023 after a match between Juventus and Udinese in Italy.

He was provisionally suspended in September of the same year, and then banned for four years by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal the following February.

Pogba's representatives said the testosterone came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States.

After the ban was announced, Pogba posted on his Instagram account that he had "never knowingly or deliberately" taken doping products.

"I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me," he wrote at the time.

On Friday evening, after the CAS ruling, his post was wordless, showing only a close-up of two feet wearing Pogba football boots with socks bearing his initials and decorated with the French flag and the two World Cup stars.

A key figure when France won the 2018 world title in Russia, Pogba collected four Serie A titles in his first stint at Juventus but had a string of problems, on and off the pitch, after his 2022 return from Manchester United.

During the 2022-23 season, Pogba made just 10 appearances for the club, mainly due to a knee injury that also ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar, where France lost out to Argentina in the final in December 2022.

He was also the victim of a case of organised extortion, for which six men, including his brother Mathias, were last month ordered to stand trial.

As England thrashed Panama 6-1 on Sunday Prince William, the president of the Football Association, was flying into Jordan for a historic Middle East tour.

The Duke of Cambridge missed the momentous game that helped England ease into the World Cup last 16 but caught a replay at the home of his host Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah.

The heir to the Jordanian throne posted pictures on his Instagram account late Sunday showing him and William watching a replay of the game on a huge flat television screen.

The pair are seen sitting on a couch in what appears to be a recreation room in Beit al-Ordon, the private residence of Jordan's royal family in the Hummar district west of Amman.

A devoted Aston Villa fan, William, 36, is wearing beige pants and a tie-less sky blue shirt, while 23-year-old Hussein, is wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans.

"Having a relaxing evening with His Royal Highness Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, after his first day in #OurJordan," Hussein wrote in a caption that accompanied one of two pictures of the pair.

"Watching the replay of the England game that we missed earlier today," says another caption showing the cavernous room where the two princes are watching the game.

William arrived Saturday in Jordan at the start of a Middle East tour that will see him become the first British royal to pay official visits to both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The visit by the second in line to the British throne has been billed as a chance to bond with Hussein, a fellow graduate of Britain's Royal Sandhurst Military Academy.

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has suffered a knee injury and has been ruled out of Tuesday's friendly against Barcelona in Dallas, Texas, the Serie A club said on Monday.

The Turin-based club did not disclose the estimated recovery time but added that the 29-year-old would see a specialist in the next few hours and continue treatment.

"Following complaining of pain in his right knee, Paul Pogba underwent radiological examinations that revealed a lesion of the lateral meniscus," the club said in a statement.

The French international, who returned to the club as a free agent after six seasons at Manchester United, could miss the start of the Serie A season. Juventus host Sassuolo on Aug. 15 in their opening match.

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba's career hung in the balance on Thursday after he was handed a four-year doping ban but the France international said he would try to clear his name by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The France international was provisionally suspended by a tribunal of Italy's national anti-doping organisation (NADO Italia) in September after testing positive for DHEA - a banned substance which naturally raises levels of testosterone.

Juventus did not comment on the ban but a source confirmed they had been notified about the decision and would assess the next steps.

The 30-year-old Pogba, who has a contract at Juve until June 2026, denied any wrongdoing.

"I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me," Pogba said in a statement.

"As a professional athlete I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances and have never disrespected or cheated fellow athletes and supporters of any of the teams I have played for, or against.

"As a consequence of the decision announced today I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport," he added, referring to sport's highest court.

NADO Italia declined to comment on Pogba's case, citing privacy rules.

The doping test was performed after Juve's 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on Aug. 20.

The tribunal had said it detected the prohibited substance "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites", adding that the results were "consistent with the exogenous (external) origin of the target compounds".

Pogba was an unused substitute in that game but made two appearances off the bench against Bologna and Empoli before he was handed a provisional suspension.

Pogba's positive doping test was also confirmed in a counter-analysis on a second sample in October.

The ban could effectively end Pogba's career at the highest level.

The Frenchman was among the sport's highest-earning players at his peak after he completed a then-world record transfer of over 100 million euros ($108.42 million) in 2016 to Premier League Manchester United.

MINIMUM WAGE

According to a source, Juve are paying Pogba a minimum wage of 2,000 euros ($2,200) per month.

If the ban is upheld by CAS, Pogba's contract could be terminated and he will not be able to return to action until September, 2027 - when he will be 34.

"When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations," Pogba added.

Pogba has had a disappointing second spell with Juve due to injuries since he returned to the Turin-based club following his departure from United on a free transfer in 2022.

The 2018 World Cup winner barely featured last season due to knee and hamstring injuries as well as knee surgery, which prevented him playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar.