The Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS, has revealed on Monday that Paul Pogba's doping suspension was cut from four years to 18 months after experts supported the French soccer player's claims of having unintentionally ingested a banned substance.
Previously, Niger Delta Connect reported that the France international was provisionally suspended by Italy's national anti-doping organisation (NADO Italia) in September 2023 after testing positive for DHEA a banned substance responsible for raising levels of testosterone.
According to reports, after CAS reduced the sentence last week, Pogba announced that his "nightmare is over." The former Manchester United forward, who has a contract with Italy's Juventus until June 2026, will be eligible to return to football in March.
However, CAS released a statement regarding Pogba's case, saying the sportsman had argued that his ingestion of DHEA was not intentional and had occurred after he consumed a supplement prescribed to him by a medical doctor in Florida.
CAS statement reads: "Mr Pogba had been given assurances that the medical doctor, who had claimed to treat several high-level US and international athletes, was knowledgeable and would be mindful of Mr Pogba's anti-doping obligations under the World Anti-Doping Code."
"Mr Pogba's case was supported by several experts. Much of the evidence provided by Mr Pogba was unopposed," CAS added.
"The CAS Panel determined, however, that Mr Pogba was not without fault and that, as a professional football player, he should have paid greater care in the circumstances."
Recall that Niger Delta Connect reported, Juventus Thiago Motta refusal to reveal whether Paul Pogba still has a future at Juventus after the France international's four-year doping ban was slashed to 18 months.
According to Niger Delta Connect, Juve might still seek to terminate Pogba's contract, which runs until the end of June 2026 and is reportedly worth up to 10 million euros (£8.37m) a season.
Coach Motta who spoke concerning the issue, told reporters prior to Sunday's Serie A fixture with Cagliari that: "The club will assess the situation and make a decision if necessary. Paul was a great player but he hasn't played for a long time."
"All I'm thinking about is our match tomorrow, nothing else really matters as far as I'm concerned."
Juventus has reportedly refused commenting on Pogba's case, after pogba tested positive for DHEA following the Turin club's opening Serie A fixture of last season, a 3-0 win at Udinese in August 2023.
