Paul Pogba drug ban reduced to 18 months, can play football from March

Pogba’s four-year doping ban is slashed on appeal, opening the door to the French star signing with a new club.

Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut from four years to 18 months after experts supported the French football player’s insistence that he had unintentionally ingested a banned substance, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) says.

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

CAS reduced the sentence last week with Pogba saying his “nightmare is over”. The 31-year-old, who has a contract with Italy’s Juventus until June 2026, will be eligible to return to football in March.

In a statement released on Monday, CAS said Pogba had argued that his ingestion of DHEA was not intentional and had occurred after he consumed a supplement prescribed to him by a doctor in Florida.

“Mr Pogba had been given assurances that the medical doctor, who had claimed to treat several high level U.S. and international athletes, was knowledgeable and would be mindful of Mr Pogba’s anti-doping obligations under the World Anti-Doping Code,” CAS added.

“Mr Pogba’s case was supported by several experts. Much of the evidence provided by Mr Pogba was unopposed.

“The CAS Panel determined, however, that Mr Pogba was not without fault and that, as a professional football player, he should have paid a greater care in the circumstances.”

Pogba last played for Juventus in a 2-0 win at Empoli more than a year ago. The midfielder had a disappointing second spell with Juve due to injuries since he returned to the Turin-based club after his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.

Pogba and Juventus are open to the prospect of the Frenchman restarting his career elsewhere, according to ESPN.

Pogba’s last competitive match for Juventus was on September 3, 2023, in Empoli, Italy, in the Serie A match against Empoli FC at Stadio Carlo Castellani [Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images]