NEW YORK.- Paul Pogba had his doping punishment reduced from four years to 18 months after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The ruling means that the world champion with France will be able to resume his career in 2025.
CAS confirmed earlier reports that the suspension was reduced when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. The entity did not give more details about the decision.
“Finally the nightmare is over,” Pogba said in a statement. “Following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can think again about the day when I will follow my dreams again.”
The midfielder of the Juventus He tested positive for testosterone in August last year and was handed the maximum punishment by Italy’s anti-doping court.
At the time, Pogba said “the verdict is wrong” and appealed to the Swiss-based CAS.
“I am sad, shocked and heartbroken because everything I have built in my career as a professional player has been taken away from me,” he said.
Exceptions
Four-year suspensions are standard under the world anti-doping code, but can be reduced in cases where an athlete can prove that their doping was unintentional, if the positive result came from contamination or if they provide “substantial assistance” to help the researchers.
Pogba, 31, was the most expensive footballer in history when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a fee of $113 million (€105 million) in 2016.
He starred in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 and returned to Juventus as a free agent in 2022. But injuries limited him to just eight Serie A appearances in his second spell at the club before his suspension.
Pogba was suspended after the positive test was announced in September last year.
