FOLLOWING a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Paul Pogba’s four-year ban has been reduced to 18 months and he can resume training with Juventus again as early as March 2025.
According to Paul Pogba after the decision by CAS, “Finally, the nightmare is over”. Pogba, who tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the first game of the 2023/24 season, also had the €5,000 (£4,179) fine imposed on him set aside by the Court of Arbitration for Sport who will now officially announce the ban reduction on Monday 7 October 2024.
“I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.” 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 can’t wait to get back on the pitch.”
An 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.
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