Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was handed a four-year ban in March for a doping offence; Pogba was provisionally suspended in September 2023 after testing positive a month earlier for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA); the 31-year-old had been set to not play football until August 2027
Friday 4 October 2024 20:44, UK
Paul Pogba's four-year drug ban has been reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Pogba, who tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the first game of the 2023/24 season, is free to start playing for Juventus again from March next year.
"Finally the nightmare is over," said Pogba in a statement. "Following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again."
Italy's National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA) accepted the request of the Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office to issue a four-year ban last March, which is the standard length of ban under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA). It meant Pogba would not have returned to football until March 2027.
Pogba added: "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.
"This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold. Thank you again for all the love and support. I just cannot wait to get back on the pitch."
The €5,000 (£4,179) fine imposed on Pogba has been set aside and CAS will officially announce the ban reduction on Monday.
A four-year anti-doping ban can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove it was not intentional, was the result of contamination, or if they can provide "substantial assistance" to help investigators.
The 31-year-old was suspended as a precaution in September 2023 after testing positive for DHEA - a compound that promotes the production of hormones in the body including testosterone - following Juventus' game at Udinese on August 20.
The France international did not play in the Serie A match but was on the bench. He then made substitute appearances for Juventus against Bologna on August 27 and Empoli on September 3, before his suspension was announced.
Sky Sports News reported that Pogba would fight to clear his name with his agent Rafaela Pimenta insisting "Paul never wanted to break the rules". Pogba asked for a counter-analysis to be made on his positive doping test but those results also returned a positive result.
In December 2023, anti-doping prosecutors in Italy requested the maximum four-year ban following his positive doping test. Pogba opted not to make a plea bargain with the anti-doping agency, meaning the case was tried before the country's anti-doping court.
The ban started from when he first tested positive, so Pogba was banned until August 2027.
Pogba confirmed he would appeal the decision at the CAS in Lausanne, adding he would tell his full story "when I am free of legal restrictions".
Sky Sports' chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
"Paul Pogba is desperate to get back to playing football and is determined to make up for lost time. The past 14 months have been a total nightmare.
"He sees the ban reduction as good and bad news. It's good because it means he can play again but bad because he has to wait until January to train and March to play. He has been keeping fit at home following his own personal training plan.
"Pogba has been inundated with messages of support today from players and managers. He believes the positive test for DHEA was a totally innocent mistake caused by taking a nutritional supplement.
"His lawyers argued that the supplement he took causes the body to naturally produce testosterone but it has been proven that it only boosts testosterone levels in females.
"That said, DHEA is on the WADA banned list and athletes are responsible for what they put in their body."
