PARIS: French soccer player Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut to 18 months from an initial four years, 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 organization (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.
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.”
Pogba has doping suspension cut to 18 months, eligible to play next March
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Pogba has doping suspension cut to 18 months, eligible to play next March
- “The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023,” CAS director general Matthieu Reeb
- The France international was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping organization in September 2023
Sabalenka says Kyrgios match will not harm women’s tennis reputation
- Sabalenka will play the Australian, ranked 672 in the world, on December 28
- “I am not putting myself at any risk,” the 27-year-old Belarusian told the BBC
LONDON: World number one Aryna Sabalenka says she is not concerned that losing to Nick Kyrgios in this month’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition could damage the reputation of women’s tennis.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka will play the Australian, ranked 672 in the world, on December 28.
“I am not putting myself at any risk,” the 27-year-old Belarusian told the BBC. “We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.
“It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that. This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level.”
Some have criticized the event which has echoes of the original 1973 Battle of the Sexes match in which women’s trailblazer Billie Jean King was challenged by 55-year-old former Grand Slam winner Bobby Riggs who claimed women’s tennis was far inferior to men’s.
King won the match in Houston with the contest attracting a reported 90 million television viewers.
Unlike Riggs, Kyrgios is still an active Tour player although he played only five professional matches in 2025 because of the injuries that have dogged his career.
“It’s not going to be an easy match for Nick,” Sabalenka said. “I’m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment.
“He’s in a lose-lose situation. I’m in a win-win situation.”
Kyrgios, the former world number 13, said in September that women can’t return men’s serves and that he would beat Sabalenka without having to try 100 percent.
However, he said the match would increase respect between the men’s and women’s Tours.
“So I can’t do anything other than hope me and Aryna play our best tennis and, at the end of the day, whoever wins, that our handshake afterwards solidifies the union between males and females in the tennis world,” he said.
