Ex-Manchester United, Juventus star Paul Pogba on doping ban: 'I'm not a cheater'

French midfielder Paul Pogba says he is "not a cheater" less than two weeks after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced his doping ban from four years to 18 months. Pogba admitted he now wants to play again for Juventus in the near future and is eager to return to the pitch.

"As of today, I do not see myself with any other jersey. My focus is on getting back into the Juve shirt," Pogba said in an interview with multiple media outlets.

The Juventus player was suspended by the Italian anti-doping agency after testing positive for DHEA, a banned substance that raises testosterone levels. The French international denied the accusations and appealed to CAS in February after testing positive in the wake of a 3-0 win for Juventus against Udinese on Aug.20, 2023. Upon the reduction of his sentence, CAS released the following statement

"The CAS Panel in charge of the matter partially upheld the appeal filed by Paul Pogba. It has confirmed the ADRV but reduced the sanction imposed on the Player to an 18-month period of ineligibility, commencing on September 11, 2023, and canceled the fine."

Pogba is expected to be back on the pitch in the early months of 2025. The midfielder spoke about his feelings and said what he took wasn't performance-enhancing, but rather "just supplements."

"I like to win fairly. I'm a bad loser, but I'm not a cheater," Pogba said.