Paul Pogba has doping suspension cut to 18 months, eligible to play next March

Paris: French soccer player Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut from four years to 18 months, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

"The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023," CAS director general Matthieu Reeb told Reuters.

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 that raises levels of testosterone.

The 31-year-old Pogba, who has a contract with Italy's Juventus until June 2026, denied any wrongdoing and said in February he would appeal to CAS.

"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," Pogba said in a statement.

"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."

The doping test was performed after Juve's 3-0 season-opening victory in Serie A at Udinese on August 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".

Juve have been contacted by Reuters for a comment.