Pogba breaks silence after reduced drug ban, says ‘Nightmare is over’

Paul Pogba, a midfield player for Juventus, has expressed relief following the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to shorten his four-year doping penalty to 18 months.

The 31-year-old was first punished in March of the previous year after testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and was placed on provisional suspension in September of the same year.

The former Manchester United player, Paul Pogba, successfully challenged the ruling and received a ban reduction, which allowed him to play again in March of the following 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.”