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French soccer star Paul Pogba‘s doping suspension has been substantially reduced, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) trimming the original four-year ban to 18 months, according to an official statement released on Friday.
“I can confirm the decision: an 18-month suspension with effect from 11 September 2023. The reasons for the decision will follow later,” the CAS spokesperson told AFP.
After serving his reduced sentence, French international Paul Pogba will be cleared to resume competitive football duties on March 11, 2025 – four days prior to his 32nd birthday – as he looks to reignite his career with Juventus.
A routine doping control conducted after Juventus’s August 2023 matchup against Udinese yielded a positive result for testosterone, implicating French midfielder Paul Pogba and triggering a lengthy disciplinary process.
Following his August 2023 doping test, Pogba faced escalating disciplinary action, starting with a provisional suspension in September, culminating in a substantial four-year ban from the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal in February of the next year.
Citing medical advice, Paul Pogba’s representatives assert that the testosterone traced to a dietary supplement prescribed by a physician in the US, challenging the notion of deliberate doping and opening the door for further examination.
Read also: Paul Pogba’s Brother Set To Be Tried In Kidnap Case
After the ban was announced, Pogba posted on his Instagram account that he had “never knowingly or deliberately” taken doping products.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me,” he wrote.
On Friday evening, after the CAS ruling, his post was wordless, showing only a close-up of two feet wearing Pogba football boots with socks bearing his initials and decorated with the French flag and the two World Cup stars.
A key figure when France won the 2018 world title in Russia, Pogba collected four Serie A titles in his first stint at Juventus but had a string of problems, on and off the pitch, after his 2022 return from Manchester United.
Pogba’s 2022-23 season was marred by injury, with a nagging knee problem confining him to just 10 outings and preventing his participation in France’s World Cup campaign, which culminated in a narrow defeat to Argentina.
Beyond his on-field challenges, Pogba faced another ordeal as the target of an organized extortion scheme, with six individuals – among them his brother Mathias – recently summoned to stand trial.
