Thursday 29 Feb 2024

I'm wondering if Pogba will try and play in MLS?

FIFA can suspend him for a short time but no one can ban someone for 4 years who is legally trying to earn a living.

In the USA anyway, people with worse records can work and I’m sure any judge could rule on Pogba’s right to earn a living.

If an MLS club were to take a chance and sign him, I honestly don’t think there is anything either FIFA or UEFA can do much about it.

At 31, he is still young enough and I think he could be an asset to many clubs.

Paul Pogba 'banned for FOUR YEARS' after failed drugs test

 

Green Fuel FC from Zimbabwe?

 

i dont think so-- he wasted his talents, much like mario balotelli-- Pogba could have been so much more, but made decisions with an elitist, self-centered attitude that has ruined his career- no MLS Club should take the gamble with such a high-risk player

 

Not so sure.

Many players have a self-centered attitude but aside from this, he couldn’t be worse than many other, older overpriced foreigners I've seen in MLS.

I think he would also come a lot cheaper than most other superstars especially now.

 

You're making a lot of assumptions here and I don't think they all hold up. And more importantly, I don't think Pogba brings enough to any MLS team for the league to want to go through what would likely be very protracted legal battles to sign and play him.

 

Sure he can, it's only impossible until it's done. What's he bring to a MLS team? I would believe FIFA runs the sport, so why sign a player who will have to address a problem or bring problems that will have to be dealt with? MLS has a CBA with a drug policy, so at some point he would have to meet that standard.

 

Paul Pogba is a top , World Cup winner and a class player.

Anyone who has seen him play will tell you this and FIFA can’t ban anyone from earning a living for that length of time.

They may be able to suspend a player for 6 months or even a year and clubs may go along with it but whether they control the sport or not, FIFA can't control or block a player from earning a living in America.

Don Popovic told me the same thing when he took FIFA to the Supreme Court when they tried to prevent Steve Zungul from playing outdoor soccer.

The day he took it to the SC, FIFA failed to show up and Zungul was allowed to play the last two years of the old NASL, becoming the leagues final MVP.

That was over 40 years ago and if he could play, I’m sure Pogba can as well.

It’s unconstitutional to block anyone from earning a living and if a judge were to rule, FIFA would easily lose on that issue.

 

FIFA is an international organization. The Constitution doesn’t apply to them. That’s like saying the UN did something unconstitutional. Or for that matter, it’s like saying if Canada passes a law about guns, Canada’s law is unconstitutional.

The Constitution only applies in America.

 

Exactly my point.

Therefore, if an MLS club were to take a chance and sign Pogba and FIFA wanted to object and prevent Pogba from playing, they would lose.

 

They might well lose in US court but then they can just punish the USSF for political interference. That’s happened to a few FAs.

 

I seriously doubt FIFA would do anything.

They didn't when Zungul was permitted to play when they tried to block him.

If anything, they awarded the USA the 1994 World Cup only 4-5 years later.

They may verbally try or even threaten to punish the USSF and MLS but I don't think they would get away with a long-term ban, by US and I’m pretty sure by international law.

 

Earlier in the thread you said FIFA couldn’t do anything and now you’re saying they wouldn’t. That lil’ change of a c to a w changes the whole deal.

 

Come on. He's saying obviously ridiculous things to get attention.

 

I'm not attacking anyone , trying to get attention, nor would I want to try to prove anything to you or anyone else on the board.

I am simply talking about the game and how a potential MLS club should sign a great 31-year-old, superstar player in his prime.

That isn't ridiculous because I’ve never met any fan of the game who wouldn't want to see this type of player.

The only reason on why Weston McKennie is doing well after being given a second chance at Juve was because Pogba isn't playing.

Weston was about to be discarded by Juventus in July and August.

Then Pogba was suspended and Weston started excelling and redemeed himself.

My main point is though, what can or will FIFA legally do?

Put a ban on MLS or the USSF?

On what grounds?

Does anyone really believe FIFA would ban the league from playing because MLS are allowing one player who paid his debt to society for using drugs?

Again, they didn’t want Zungul to play but failed to show up in the Supreme Court and this could easily happen again.

Of course, it could and I can easily see a club trying to sign him.

I'd welcome such a player on my team.

 

"Four-year bans are standard under the World Anti-Doping Code but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove their doping was not intentional, if the positive test was a result of contamination or if they provide "substantial assistance" to help investigators".
It's not even FIFA that's given the ban.

 

I believe FIFA imposed a ban for Diego Maradona twice for drug use.

First for cocaine use in 1991 when he was with Napoli and again for taking a cocktail of pills during the 1994 WC but both bans only lasted 18 month's.

He wasn’t ever suspended for a total of 4 years though.

 

No one can work legally in the US without a work permit. I'm no expert, but I can imagine that Pogba's issues with the sport's international governing body might have a negative effect on his ability to get a work visa here. And the possibility of that might damped MLS's interest in him (if there is any).

 

That would not be an issue.

People without visas , worse records are allowed into the country , given work permits and are in fact allowed to work legally.

I don't see how Pogba would be a worse case and I’m sure he could easily get a visa just like any other foreign player.

 

Ah, well, that settles it, then.

 

Well hopefully he signs with San Jose.

 

That would be awesome!

Sadly , even at a reduced rate, our money ball owner is too cheap to get a great player like him.

 

Can you refresh my memory of who the poster on Big Soccer was before the season started that was advocating for MLS to sign players in their early twenties and not in their thirties so the rest of the world doesn't look at MLS as a retirement league?

 

Sure I want 20 somethings and still do but when I posted that if you go back and look, I was mostly talking about over 36’s.

Pogba is only 30 going on 31.

He’s still six years younger than everyone’s favorite fan boy and play another 4 years before he turns 35.

That’s a prime age for a great player like him and there is a huge difference between a 31 and a 36 year old.

Most top or even crap clubs in any league would welcome such a player.