French international footballer Paul Pogba's four-year suspension for doping has been reduced to 18 months, according to a spokesperson from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday.

"I can confirm the decision: an 18-month suspension effective from 11 September 2023. The detailed reasons for the ruling will be provided at a later date," the CAS spokesperson stated. Pogba, who remains under contract with Juventus until 2026, will be eligible to return to competitive football on 11 March next year, just four days before his 32nd birthday.

The midfielder tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone in August 2023, following a match between Juventus and Udinese. He was provisionally suspended in September of the same year and subsequently handed a four-year ban by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal in February.

Pogba’s representatives maintained that the testosterone traces were the result of a food supplement prescribed by a doctor he had consulted in the United States. After the initial ban was announced, Pogba took to Instagram, stating that he had "never knowingly or intentionally" consumed any prohibited substances. "I am devastated, shocked, and heartbroken that everything I have worked for throughout my professional career has been taken away from me," he wrote.

Following the CAS decision, Pogba posted a wordless image on Instagram on Friday evening, showing a close-up of two feet wearing his signature football boots and socks featuring his initials, alongside the French flag and two stars symbolising France's World Cup victories.

A pivotal player in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph in Russia, Pogba also won four Serie A titles during his first spell at Juventus. However, after rejoining the club in 2022 from Manchester United, his career was plagued by a series of issues both on and off the field.

In the 2022-23 season, Pogba made only 10 appearances for Juventus, primarily due to a knee injury that also caused him to miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where France finished as runners-up to Argentina in the final. Additionally, Pogba became entangled in a case of organised extortion, with six individuals, including his brother Mathias, being ordered to stand trial last month.