Paul Pogba Launches Strong Defence of Dele Alli As Both Stars Deal With Huge Setbacks

• Paul Pogba has slammed the media on how they handled the Dele Alli case
• Alli opened up in a tell-it-all interview with Gary Neville about the tribulations in his life
• Pogba has been suspended for flouting anti-doping rules during a Serie A match

Paul Pogba has strongly come out to defend Dele Alli weeks after the former Tottenham Hotspur star revealed some disturbing details about his career.

Alli made the shocking revelations in an interview with Gary Neville, where he stated that he was abused as a minor, and his addiction to sleeping pills, among other issues.

The 27-year-old fell off rapidly despite being one of the most sought-after English talents when he first made headlines under Mauricio Pochettino.

His fall from grace to grass coincided with Pochettino's sacking as Spurs boss before he was shipped to Everton after a tumultuous time under Jose Mourinho.

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Football

Pogba takes swipe at media

A couple of figures led by his former strike partner at Spurs, Harry Kane, sent messages of support. Pogba took a different approach, with the French World Cup-winning midfielder slamming the media for not showing compassion.

"I saw Dele Alli do the interview. It is so easy now he's spoken out for everybody to be behind and support him, but for so long, they've been killing him. But who, when they were killing him, I saw nobody in the media ask him what's going on, mentally and stuff like that," said Pogba in an exclusive chat with Al Jazeera.

The interview aired before news broke out that the Juventus midfielder had been out under provisional suspension after he was found to have flouted doping rules, as captured by the BBC.

The news is set to be another setback for him after fitness issues prevented him from getting his second stint at Juventus going.

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Football

Longest bans in football's history

The French star now faces a ban of up to four years if found guilty of the offence. Such bans, though rare in football, have happened in the past.

Sports Brief takes a look at some of the most famous players who were suspended for lengthy periods.

Argentina's legend, Diego Maradona, leads the list after he served two 15-month bans in 1991 and 1994.