Brazilian striker Gabigol cleared by CAS in doping case

Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa has won an appeal against a two-year ban in a doping rules case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

Barbosa, known as Gabigol, was suspended by a Brazilian sports tribunal in March 2024, when he was playing for Flamengo. The CAS allowed him to continue playing pending the appeal's outcome.

"Two of the toughest years of my life, being unfairly accused of something I never did," Barbosa said in a statement.

"No prohibited substance was found, but they still wanted to punish me for an alleged attitude. Justice was done. But the wound stays," he said.

The 28-year-old allegedly ignored an initial request to present a urine sample during a random visit by testers to Flamengo's Rio de Janeiro training grounds in April 2023.

He eventually took the test hours after his teammates, but is accused of disrespecting the officers and failing to comply with their instructions.

CAS, sport's highest court, said that although Barbosa's behavior was completely uncooperative, it could not be considered 'tampering' under the World Anti-Doping Code.

Barbosa, who has 18 Brazil caps, currently plays for Cruzeiro after leaving Flamengo last December.