Paul Pogba has successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, reducing his four-year doping ban to 18 months.
This new ruling allows the French World Cup winner to return to his career in March 2025. The Court confirmed the reduction when contacted by The Associated Press, but did not provide details about the decision.
“Finally the nightmare is over,” Pogba said 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.”
The Juventus midfielder tested positive for testosterone in August last year, which led to the maximum penalty from Italy’s anti-doping court. At that time, Pogba claimed that “the verdict is incorrect” and decided to appeal to CAS in Switzerland.
Four-year bans are typical under the world anti-doping code but can be shortened if an athlete can show that their doping was unintentional, if the positive test came from contamination, or if they provide “substantial assistance” to help with investigations.
“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,” Pogba explained.
“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.”
Pogba shared that this has been a very stressful time for him, as everything he has worked hard for has been put on hold.
At 31 years old, Pogba was the most expensive soccer player ever when he moved to Manchester United from Juventus for 105 million euros ($113 million) in 2016.
He played a key role in France’s World Cup victory in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. However, injuries limited him to just eight Serie A games during his second stint at the club before his suspension.
