Cruzeiro forward Gabriel Barbosa has won his request against a 24-month suspension for tried anti-doping fraud, which was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday.
Barbosa, known as Gabigol, was suspended for two years by a Brazilian sports court in March 2024, with the ban starting from the date of the alleged violation, April 8, 2023, when he was playing for Flamengo.
Barbosa refused the allegations, and Flamengo said they would assist the player in his request to CAS.
Sport's highest court has now said that although Barbosa’s behaviour was completely uncooperative, it could not be considered 'tampering' under the World Anti-Doping Code.
The now 28-year-old was accused of making it difficult to carry out an anti-doping test the day before Flamengo’s match in the Rio de Janeiro state league, which he took hours after his teammates, local media reported at the time.
CAS in April 2024 possessed permitted Barbosa to continue playing pending the outcome of the request.
Barbosa now plays for Brazilian Serie A club Cruzeiro after leaving Flamengo late last year.
