France star Paul Pogba will be able to return to playing football in early 2025 after seeing his four-year drugs ban reduced on appeal.
"The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023," Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) director general Matthieu Reeb told Reuters on Friday.
A statement from Pogba read: “Finally the nightmare is over. Following the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, 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. Thank you again for all the love and support. I just cannot wait to get back on the pitch.”
Former Manchester United midfielder Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy's national anti-doping organisation (NADO Italia) in September 2023 after testing positive for DHEA - a banned substance that raises levels of testosterone.
The 31-year-old, who has a contract with Juventus until June 2026, denied any wrongdoing and said in February this year confirmed would appeal to CAS.
The doping test was performed after Juve's 3-0 season-opening victory in Serie A at Udinese on Aug. 20, 2023.
The tribunal said it had detected prohibited "non-endogenous testosterone metabolites", adding that the results were "consistent with the exogenous (external) origin of the target compounds".
