Paul Pogba is on a mission to repair his image after having his ban reduced from four years to 18 months.
The Juventus midfielder was given a four-year suspension after testing positive for the illegal drug DHEA, back in February. Following an appeal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month lowered the French international’s four-year suspension to eighteen months.
He will now resume training with Juventus in January and will be able to play in March.
Pogba insists he is not a cheater
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the 31-year-old opened up about his experiences over the past 12 months.
He said, “I accept responsibility for taking the supplement but I didn’t triple-check it – even if it came from a professional.
“If I have to be punished, then I’m fine with it. But it should never have been four years. I will accept 12 months.”
When asked to reassure his supporters that he has never used performance-enhancing substances and has always played clean, he said, “When you see me, you know me. People know me.
“So even when everything happened people said: ‘We know Paul, he would never take that. If he did, he wouldn’t have known and it wouldn’t have been on purpose.’
“And this is totally the truth. I’m an honest person, I would say it. I am not a cheater, I am someone that loves my sport. I love the game and I would never, ever.
“I like to win fairly and people know that. You see me. I’m a bad loser, but I am not a cheater – that’s for sure.”
