Paul Pogba’s four-year doping ban has been dramatically reduced to just 18 months following a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The former Manchester United midfielder was initially handed the lengthy suspension in February after testing positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) last August. This substance is known to enhance hormone production, including testosterone. Pogba faced the grim possibility of retirement if the original ban were upheld, but he successfully demonstrated that he had inadvertently ingested the banned substance, leading to a reduction in his penalty.
With the new ruling, Pogba is set to resume his career at Juventus in March 2025 and is reportedly allowed to begin training in January. Although he has not made an official statement on the outcome, he hinted at a potential return by sharing an Instagram post featuring a sand timer emoji.
According to the Daily Mail, Pogba’s appeal was heard at CAS headquarters in Switzerland in August, where photographic evidence of the possibly contaminated product played a key role in exonerating him.
Pogba was provisionally suspended in September following an adverse finding from his post-match drug test after Juventus’ 3-0 victory over Udinese on August 20. Although he was named as a substitute in that match, he did not enter the field, and a request for a counter-analysis of his sample also returned a positive result.
Initially, anti-doping prosecutors in Italy sought a four-year suspension for Pogba, which was accepted by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal (TNA). Following the initial ruling, Pogba expressed feelings of being “sad, shocked, and heartbroken,” vowing to clear his name.
Since rejoining Juventus, Pogba has struggled with injuries, making only ten appearances in all competitions during his first season back in Italy and just two matches prior to his ban due to a back injury.
Upon his return, Pogba will find himself back in a Juventus squad that is currently unbeaten and sitting second in Serie A under new manager Thiago Motta.