Paul Pogba was provisionally suspended for four years due to doping by Italy’s national anti-doping organisation [NADO Italia] in September 2023 after testing positive for DHEA — a banned substance which raises testosterone levels.
The 31-year-old — who denied any wrong doing — has now seen the suspension cut from the initial four years to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS].
“The suspension is now 18 months, starting September 11th, 2023,” said CAS director general Matthieu Reeb to Reuters.
“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 Pogba said in a statement.
“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.
“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.”
The doping test was conducted after Juve’s 3-0 season-opening victory in Serie A at Udinese on August 20th, 2023.
The tribunal said it had detected prohibited “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”, adding that the results were “consistent with the exogenous (external) origin of the target compounds.”
