“The Nightmare is Over”- Pogba Reacts After CAS Reduced Four-Year Ban to 18 Months

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has reacted after his four-year ban for doping has been reduced to 18 months following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The French international, who is under contract with Juventus until 2026, will be able to return to competitive football from March 2025.

A CAS spokesperson confirmed the news of the ban reduction. “I can confirm the decision: an 18-month suspension with effect from 11 September 2023. The reasons for the decision will follow later”, said the CAS spokesperson.

Pogba was suspended by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal (Nado) in February after drug tests found elevated levels of testosterone – a hormone that increases endurance – in his system. He was positive in August 2023, and was provisionally suspended in September 2023, then banned for four years the following February.

Reacting to the news of the reduction of his ban, Pogba said “Finally the Nightmare is over. I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.”

“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. This has been a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold.”

Had the initial suspension held, the now 31-year-old would have been unable to play until 2027.

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