Paul Pogba has expressed immense relief after his four-year doping ban was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Juventus midfielder had been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in September 2023. Pogba, who consistently maintained his innocence, emphasized that he never knowingly breached anti-doping regulations and that the substance came from a supplement prescribed by a doctor. He described this period as a “nightmare” that had halted his football career and everything he worked for.
With the reduced ban, Pogba will be eligible to return to competitive football in March 2025, shortly before his 32nd birthday. He conveyed gratitude for the love and support from his fans and is eager to get back on the pitch, ending his statement with optimism for the future.
Paul Pogba who’s doping saga began in September 2023 when he tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a banned substance, following a Serie A match against Udinese. DHEA is a hormone that increases testosterone levels, and its use violates World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. After this initial test, Pogba was provisionally suspended, and a subsequent B sample confirmed the result. In February 2024, Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal handed him a four-year ban.
Pogba maintained that he unknowingly ingested the substance through a nutritional supplement prescribed by a doctor, which he claimed was meant to aid recovery but had no performance-enhancing effects on male athletes. He lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which ultimately ruled in his favor, reducing the ban to 18 months on the grounds that the violation was not intentional.
This reduction allows Pogba to resume playing from March 2025, which is a significant relief for the player, who described the ban as a “nightmare.” He thanked the CAS for hearing his explanation and expressed his gratitude to fans and supporters for standing by him during a distressing period.
Pogba’s last appearance for Juventus was in September 2023, and his return is highly anticipated, especially considering that this reduced suspension allows him to begin training in early 2025.
