“The nightmare is over”: Pogba’s 18-month doping suspension

After Paul Pogba successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), his four-year Pogba’s 18-month doping suspension.

The 31-year-old Juventus midfielder can start training again in January 2025, according to people close to him, and he will be able to play again in March, BBC Sport was informed.

The national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in Italy suspended France international Paul Pogba in February after a drug test revealed high amounts of testosterone, a hormone that boosts endurance, in his body.

Director general of Cas Matthieu Reeb told Reuters that as of September 11, 2023, the ban had been shortened to 18 months.

“The nightmare is finally ended,” according to a statement from Pogba.

I am excited for the day when I will be able to pursue my aspirations once more.

I always said that I never knowingly infringed World Anti-Doping Agency laws when I took a nutritional supplement recommended to me by a doctor.

Which does not impact or increase the performance of male athletes Pogba’s 18-month doping suspension.

“I play with integrity, and even if I have to acknowledge that this is a strict liability offense, I would want to express my gratitude to the judges of the Court of Arbitration for Sport for hearing my side of the story.

“Everything I have worked so hard for has been placed on hold, which has made this a really painful time in my life.”

Pogba, the former midfield player for Manchester United, presented his case before Cas and personally testified during a hearing earlier this summer.

In the past, he declared that he would “never knowingly or deliberately” use drugs and that the decision was “incorrect.”

The 2018 World Cup winner would not have been allowed to play until 2027, when he would have been 34, if the initial ban had remained in place.

Pogba was given a temporary suspension in September 2023 after undergoing a random test subsequent to Juventus’ opening game of the 2023–24 campaign on August 20.

When Nado verified the positive test in a follow-up sample in October, the anti-doping prosecutor’s office asked for a four-year suspension.

“What is known is that Paul Pogba never wanted to break a regulation,” Rafaela Pimenta, Pogba’s agent, stated at the time of the initial suspension.

After Pogba’s six-year contract with Manchester United expired and he became a free agent, Juventus re-signed him in July 2022 for a four-year term.

Nevertheless, he was plagued by recurring injury issues upon his return to Turin, which also prevented him from competing in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Pogba played a total of 51 minutes as a substitute in the season that followed before his ban, and he only managed 162 minutes in five games during 2022–2023′.