Deschamps delight as 'light back on' for Pogba after doping ban
Football
By
AFP
| Oct 07, 2024
France coach Didier Deschamps on Monday welcomed the news that there was light at the end of the tunnel for midfielder Paul Pogba after a doping ban.
On Friday, French international Pogba learned that his four-year ban for doping had been reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"There is this light that turns on again," said Deschamps on the French Football Federation (FFF) website.
"He will have stages to go through but it is excellent news. He will be able to play again from March."
The 91-times capped World Cup winner tested positive for testosterone in August 2023 after a match between Juventus and Udinese in Italy.
READ MORE
How Africa can spark bargaining power locked in critical minerals
Give wildlife more funds for better climate action
Clerics' crucial role at the COP29 climate talks
Ruto, AU noble climate plan bound to fail
Africa plans to take common stand on climate change, peace and security
Africa caravan rallies citizens to lobby for climate justice at COP29
Why COP29 will be a clear litmus test for climate crisis
Unmet climate pledges fuel Africa's push for $5.9t by 2030 to avert loss and damage
CS Aden Duale: Finance must be Africa's priority in COP29 position paper
Pogba blamed a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he consulted in the United States for the positive test.
He was provisionally suspended in September of the same year, and then banned for four years by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal the following February.
The 31-year-old can now hope to return to the French team in 2025.
"I spoke to him for quite a long time on the phone as this whole period has been very complicated for him," said Deschamps, also referring to "the injuries, plus the private problems he had (a case of blackmail against him notably involving one of his brothers), plus this suspension".
"It still remains a sanction which is heavy, less heavy," added Deschamps, but Pogba "knows that in March 2025, he will become a player again and as he loves football and playing so much, it is excellent news for him".