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Pogba's doping suspension cut to 18 months, eligible to play next March

Updated
Paul Pogba in Miami at the end of September
Paul Pogba in Miami at the end of SeptemberMegan Briggs / Getty Images via AFP
French football player Paul Pogba’s (31) doping suspension has been cut to 18 months from an initial four years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

"The suspension is now 18 months, starting September 11th, 2023," CAS director general Matthieu Reeb told Reuters.

The France international was provisionally suspended by Italy's national anti-doping organisation (NADO Italia) in September 2023 after testing positive for DHEA - a banned substance that raises levels of testosterone.

Pogba, who has a contract with Italy's Juventus until June 2026, denied any wrongdoing and said in February he would appeal to CAS.

"Finally the nightmare is over. Following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again," Pogba said in a statement.

"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."

The doping test was performed after Juve's 3-0 season-opening victory in Serie A at Udinese on August 20th, 2023.

The tribunal said it had detected prohibited "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites", adding that the results were "consistent with the exogenous (external) origin of the target compounds."