French international and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba’s four-year doping ban has been reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), allowing him to return to competitive football in March 2025.
A spokesperson from CAS confirmed the ruling on Friday, stating, “An 18-month suspension with effect from 11 September 2023. The reasons for the decision will follow later.”
This decision comes as a relief to Pogba, who had tested positive for testosterone following Juventus’ match against Udinese in August 2023.
Handed initially a four-year ban by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal in February 2024, Pogba had consistently denied intentional wrongdoing.
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His representatives claimed the banned substance came from a food supplement prescribed by a doctor in the United States. After news of the initial ban, Pogba took to Instagram to express his anguish, stating, “I have never knowingly or deliberately taken doping products.”
On Friday, following the CAS ruling, Pogba shared a post featuring a close-up of his football boots with his initials and the French flag, but without any accompanying words.
With his suspension set to end on March 11, 2025, just days before his 32nd birthday, Pogba will be eligible to rejoin Juventus for the latter stages of the season, marking a possible comeback for the World Cup winner.
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