Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has expressed relief after his doping ban was reduced from four years to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 31-year-old was originally sanctioned in March after receiving a provisional suspension in September of the previous year, having tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).

Pogba, the former Manchester United player, appealed the decision and successfully secured a reduction in his suspension, paving the way for his return to action in March next year.

“Finally the nightmare is over. I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again,” Pogba said in a statement. He maintained that he never knowingly breached World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations when he took a nutritional supplement prescribed by a doctor, which does not affect or enhance male athletes’ performance.

“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.”

He described the ordeal as “a hugely distressing period in my life because everything I have worked so hard for has been put on hold.”

Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal issued the ban, a standard length stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Code (WADA), but there is provision for it to be reduced if the athlete can prove the breach was not intentional, was the result of contamination or they provide “substantial assistance” to investigators.

CAS director general Matthieu Reeb informed The Guardian: “The suspension is now 18 months, starting September 11 2023.”

Vanguard News