Paul Pogba has expressed relief, stating his “nightmare is over” after his four-year doping ban was reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sources close to the 31-year-old Juventus star informed BBC Sport that he will be able to resume training by January 2025, with eligibility to play from March onwards.
The French midfielder was initially banned in February by Italy’s national anti-doping tribunal (NADO) after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels, a hormone known for boosting endurance.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb confirmed to Reuters that the reduced ban took effect on September 11, 2023.
In a statement, 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.”
Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba personally appeared before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier this summer to contest his doping ban. Pogba had consistently maintained that he would “never knowingly or deliberately” engage in doping and felt the initial ruling was “wrong.”
If the original four-year ban had been upheld, the 2018 World Cup winner would have been sidelined until 2027, at which point he would be 34 years old.