World Cup winner and Juventus player, Paul Pogba doping suspension has been reduced to 18 months from an initial four years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on Friday.
“The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023,” CAS director general Matthieu Reeb announced.
This decision paves the way for Pogba to return to competitive football in March 2025.
Pogba is relieved at the ruling in a statement: “Finally the nightmare is over. Following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.”
The 31-year-old had been sidelined since August 2023 after testing positive for DHEA, a banned substance that increases testosterone levels, following Juventus’ Serie A match against Udinese.
He was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping body (NADO Italia) in September and initially handed a four-year ban in February 2024.
Pogba has consistently denied knowingly breaching anti-doping regulations, attributing the positive test to a nutritional supplement prescribed by a doctor.
“I always stated that I never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency regulations when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance the performance of male athletes,” he said.
“This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold. I just cannot wait to get back on the pitch.”
“I want to place on record my thanks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s judges who heard my explanation.”
Paul Pogba has not played competitively in over a year, and injuries hampered his return to Juventus in 2022 following his stint at Manchester United.
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