Pogba Doping Ban Reduced Months After Cas Appeal

Pogba Doping Ban Reduced Months After Cas Appeal

Paul Pogba’s four-year ban for a doping offence has been reduced to 18 months after winning his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

Sources close to the 31-year-old Juventus midfielder told BBC Sport he can resume training in January 2025 and will be eligible to play again from March.

France international Pogba was suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (Nado) in February after a drugs test found elevated levels of testosterone – a hormone that increases endurance – in his system.

Cas director general Matthieu Reeb confirmed to Reuters the ban had been reduced to 18 months from 11 September, 2023.

Former Manchester United midfielder Pogba took his case to Cas and gave evidence in person at a hearing earlier this summer.

Previously, he said he would deliberately dope and believed the verdict was not correct.

Had the original ban stood, 2018 World Cup winner Pogba would have been unable to play until 34 in 2027.

Pogba was provisionally suspended in September 2023 after being randomly tested following Juventus’ first match of the 2023-24 season on 20 August.

The positive test was confirmed by Nado in a second sample in October, and the anti-doping prosecutor’s office requested a four-year suspension